Sit Less for Better Health

It’s possible that the La-Z-Boy® in your living room is the biggest threat to your long-term health and wellness. Research suggests that reducing the amount of time you spend sitting can greatly reduce your chances of developing:

·        Cancer

·        Diabetes

·        Cardiovascular Disease

·        Back Pain

If you remain sedentary or inactive, you can expect the opposite of feeling good. We all know that increasing physical activity has many benefits for the mind and body. The issue isn’t a lack of knowledge, it’s figuring out how to get started.

Understanding the End Goal

The U.S .Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity (or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity)physical activity during the course of a week. This could mean:

·        30 minutes per day Monday through Friday or;

·        50 minutes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday or;

·        25 minutes everyday but Sunday.

It can seem overwhelming to figure out how to get from where you are to 150 minutes per week of activity. But what if instead of trying to move more, you sit less.

Start Small

Americans over the age of 60 spend an average of 5 hours a day sitting. Take the first step. Try swap minutes spent in front of a screen with movement instead. Try:

·        Standing

·        Going for a walk

·        Sit to Stands

·        Leg raises

·        Yoga

·        Cycling

There are many activities that are safe for all levels of fitness. Remember start small and do a little more than you did the day before. Over time, you can do more.

But what if I can’t?

Data from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion show that as of2018 nearly 25% of those in the United States over the age of 18 do not engage in any type of physical activity at all. Now, some may feel that they have a physically demanding job and therefore, meet their physical activity quota by default. Others may feel that they have a physical limitation or health related issue that keeps them from meeting the recommended daily dose of exercise.

Perhaps you can ask yourself what you are willing to do daily. Consider paying attention to how much sitting you do during your waking hours: sitting for meals, sitting in the car, sitting at your computer, sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. Try this simple activity:

·        Jot down how much you sleep. You should get about 7 hours of this.  

·        Subtract your sleep time from the number of hours in a day: 24

·        Jot down the number of hours you sit and subtract this from the hours left after you subtracted out your sleep time.

·        The remaining number now represents the number of hours you have to work with; the number of hours you can pull from to exercise.

Let’s assume you average about 7 hours of sleep. This means you are awake for 17 hours in a 24-hour period. Let’s also assume that you sit for 5 hours per day and use your computer for 3 hours of the day. That equates to an 8-hour workday. There are 9 hours left in your day. Consider keeping a log of what you do during those waking hours. There is likely lots of opportunity to move more and sit less for better health. Give it a try: 5minutes at a time!