How Sitting is the New Smoking

Side Effects of the Corporate Lifestyle

The phrase “sitting is the new smoking” apparently emerged from corporate work places where sitting takes almost 90% of their work time. The correct phrase should refer to the adverse effects of prolonged sitting since that’s the root of the problem. Sitting is the most prevalent activity that most office workers indulge in. Not only the corporate sector, but the driving jobs in the travelling industry as well require a lot of sitting time which gets doubled for the inter-state routes.  This widely followed sedentary lifestyle has lead to occurrence of various health disorders that are sometimes compared with the adverse effects of smoking.  

Why compare sitting with smoking?

Smoking has substantially much higher health risks than sitting. Although sitting is not as hazardous as smoking, it does share the detrimental effects that develop over a period of time similar to that of smoking. Contrary to popular belief, there is no comparison between the two. It is only for gathering conspicuous attention to the fact that sitting which is a simple and seemingly harmful action can unconsciously give birth to various health ailments. The two are connected by the fact that prolonged sitting can increase the risk of cardiovascular and all cause mortality rate by 20% whereas smoking can almost triple up the rate, in addition to an astonishing 1000% increased risk of respiratory diseases.  

Fight the sedentary lifestyle of lockdown!

Having not enough activity is pretty common in the lockdown situation. Doesn’t matter if you are working from home or simply laid-off from school, at some point you end up doing absolutely nothing productive for hours. Apart from the physical damage it does to your body, you get mental disorders like loneliness, anxiety and depression as well. Not only that, social distancing may reduce your social skills to the point that you start feeling comfortable by remaining indoors or confined. This is definitely a no go for your mental and physical well being. Social interaction is as important as physic activity. You need to understand the difference between social distancing and social boycott. Lockdown does not encourage you to practice the latter. You can still remain active without going out. If you are a sports person, play badminton or any one on one sport with your friends. Stop the sedentary lifestyle right now for the sake of your heart.  

Even if not as deleterious as smoking, sitting definitely raises some red flags with its potential of polluting our health system.

Some of the health risks that prolonged sitting impose are as follows:  

Disadvantages of prolonged sitting

 

Muscle weakness

Prolonged sitting can cause weakening of your gluteal and leg muscles that are important for your gait stabilization. Weakened muscles can no longer support your weight and you will end up falling way too often with maximum injury. Moreover, you will be more likely to injure yourself during strenuous exercises.

There are also high chances of developing varicose veins in your leg muscles which are formed when blood gets pooled up in your legs and cause blood clots to form. This can also lead to deep vein thrombosis which is a serious condition. Sitting in the same position for too long causes formation of blood clots in the veins of your legs which if breaks off and travel to other parts can stop the blood flow to important organs such as lungs. If so happens, pulmonary embolism can cause severe complications which can even lead to death.

Metabolic syndrome

If you spend a lot of time sitting in the same position, the immobilization can invite various health risks such as cardiovascular problems, strokes, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol and high sugar.

Body movements are essential for carrying out body functions. In absence of them, your body cannot digest the food you consume properly which ends up accumulated around your organs and affecting the metabolism of your body. Obesity is a great threat to your health which is augmented by prolonged sitting.

Prolonged sitting increases risks of developing cancer of various forms such as lung cancer, colon cancer, uterine cancer, and so on.

Individuals who sit for several hours a day without any significant movement are much likely to die from heart attacks and strokes.

Immobilization leads to increased levels of blood sugar and more insulin resistance. Such people have higher risk of diabetes, almost around 110% which is insane!

Spinal complications

 Sitting for longer periods leads to poor posture and hunching over which further leads to spinal disorders and premature degeneration of spine. Joints and muscles are equally affected and discs of spine can get compressed.

Mental disorders

Yes that’s right, you can get mental stress from prolonged sitting too. Remaining motionless or not going out for a long time may affect the cognitive abilities of a person and might cause mental stress. When you move you enable your body to perform its functions properly and release happy hormones. In absence of all that your mind can’t stay happy and anxiety and depression kicks in. This is one of the hypothesis that encircles the phenomenon of anxiety due to sitting. Exact reason is unknown but its connection is pretty obvious and observed in many individuals.

Chronic discomfort and pain

Maintaining the same posture for too long lead to stiffness of neck and body muscles and further make the pain permanent. It also leads to increased lower back pressure and spread to overall body.

Musculoskeletal disorders

Muscles get torn up due to weakness and immobility and result in rheumatic disorders such as osteoarthritis. Muscles, tendons, bones, joints are affected as well as it also lead to immune system abnormalities.

All-cause mortality

Prolonged sitting adversely affects all-cause mortality. The risk of death is increased in individuals who sit for too long during most times of the day. It has been proved through various studies done on men and women of all ages and body weights. Results vary as per the conditions but total outcome is the same. The cases of premature deaths are way more than those registered. Too much sitting affects the mortality rate of any individual who do not manage to overcome or minimize the damage.  

Which brings us to the part of gearing yourself up to save your health from the dangers of prolonged sitting:

How do you minimize the damage?

Sit less, move more, live better! It is as simple as that. I will mention the various points that will act as remedy for these health risks associated with too much sitting. I will be including the activities you can do at office and at home, latter will be more relevant in the light of lockdown situation. Incorporate these in your daily life and you will be good to go:

At your office

• Install a stand up desk and use it more often.
• Organize your time and drive or exit the bus one stop before your office and walk for the rest of the way.  
• Walk or use bicycle if your office is nearer to your house.
• Park at the farthest distance from your office and walk all the way to your office.
• Use stairs instead of lifts or elevators. If your office is at 20^thfloor, then you can take first 5 floors via stairs and get into elevator for the rest. Set realistic goals, don’t try to be super human.
• Move around your seat after certain intervals.
• Walk while taking calls.
• Read your emails while standing. If you get some office memos, read them while walking around.
• Fix up your lunch to be less in calories and easy to digest.
• When done eating walk around a bit in the remaining time.
• If possible have your lunch away from your desk and eat while standing.  
• Take short and active breaks throughout your day.
• If you have something to mail to your co worker go over to their desk instead. Unless of course it is against your office regulations.  
• Take laps with your colleagues while making a conversation.
• Build more physical movements during the day.
• Take a short walk outside during your break. Make sure first if it is allowed. If it is, be sincere and return on time.
• Arrange for walking meetings.

At your home

• Be active and move around a lot.
• Consult your physician before starting up a new exercise routine if you have a medical condition or recovering from an injury.
• Perform exercises you are comfortable with. Start with light ones and gradually progress to more intensive ones.
• Go out to the park for a brisk walk.
• Join dance, pilates or yoga classes. Under lockdown you can perform both at home. All you will need is an exercise area and good music.
• Go for swimming. It is an excellent workout and fun activity at the same time.
• Water your plants. Do gardening stuffs.
• Play with your children or family members, an excellent way of strengthening family bond.
• Divide your house chores to be done at different time intervals rather than all at once.
• Set timer for your sedentary activities such as watching television, net surfing, taking naps.
• While talking on the phone, instead of sitting at one place, walk around.
• Listen to audio books instead of reading and walk around. Audio books are more expressive and engaging than reading texts. Also, they give you chance to work and listen to your favourite story at the same time.

In conclusion

Sitting is the mandatory position which perfectly suits the working environment of various professions. However sadly it has become the causative impetus of many health disorders that are life threatening and thus sitting is compared to smoking which is much more hazardous. Following the recent events of COVID-19 pandemic, the worldwide lockdown has confined the general population to their homes which is adding up more scenarios of immobility. Those working from homes are bound to their chairs even at home where health risks associated with prolonged sitting have become prominent due to working in a relaxed environment. It is possible to stay active without going out and doing the activities mentioned in this blog. For the sake of your own health, you should not give into this sedentary lifestyle and come up with your own solutions to overcome the health-hazards that comes from it.