Sitting is the new smoking

Author Tom Rath labelled it ‘the most underrated health threat of modern time’, and it’s been deemed ‘the new smoking’ by journalists and scientists alike. You’d think we were discussing alcohol or drugs, but it’s something that appears far more innocuous – sitting!

Before we delve into the research, the idea for this topic came from my own experience…

I recently found myself sitting for hours on end, creating client programmes and getting lost in swathes of research. So much so, my husband returned from work to find me in precisely the position he left me in that morning!

The next day, I was struck by just how stiff my muscles felt from being in that unnatural position for so long. This sparked my research and a conscious effort to boost my movement beyond the gym. It’s made all the difference for me, and I hope it’ll do the same for you.

So, ready for those findings?

Research shows that inactivity is now responsible for 9% of premature deaths worldwide annually. If that doesn’t sound a lot to you, just picture 5 million people. Incomprehensible, I know.

This means sitting has also surpassed obesity as a cause of death. Yet it’s obviously not going to help the global obesity problem either!

By the way, a regularly used gym card doesn’t put you in the clear. In ‘Eat Move Sleep’, Rath discusses how sitting just six hours a day (pretty commonplace in the office, hey?) increases our risk of early death, and that’s regardless of whether you’re hitting the gym as soon as the clock hits 6pm.

A study published in the British Journal of Medicine found our telomeres (the caps on our DNA) actually shorten through inactivity, which accelerates the rate of cellular ageing. However, to spin things around and look at the positives, those test subjects who sat the least presented telomere growth, with their cells also ‘growing physiologically younger’.

And while we’re on this good news roll, let’s think about the solutions. We don’t have to wait for a ‘cure’ to this ailment and it’s something that’s firmly under our control. We just need to get up and move more!

Our bodies are in fact purposely designed to move, so we just need to honour their intentions! Don’t believe me? Watch this TedEd clip for a firmer grasp on the biology.

I love their suggestion of setting a reminder to hop up every 30 minutes or so. I also the love idea of…

• Meeting friends for walks rather than coffees dates and cinema trips.
• Taking the stairs not the lift. Obvious and easy!
• Using movement as an excuse to prepare a nice herbal tea or healthy dinner.
• Taking the dog for more walks. Borrowing a dog if you need to!
• Joining a local walking group.
• Taking a lunchtime yoga class.
• Going shopping, rather than always doing it online.
• Stretching more. Exploring more.
• Getting off the bus a stop early, or walking the whole way.
• Physically popping over to friends and colleagues rather than texting or emailing.
• Dividing errands throughout the day, breaking up our desk time.
• Getting a pedometer or Fitbit and monitoring our movement.
• Choosing hobbies that encourage you to stand and move of an evening.
• Dusting more!
• And definitely dancing more.

Have a little think about how you can avoid becoming part of this statistic and stop your loved ones from doing the same. Let’s keep each other accountable and keep each other well!

And what better time to start than the ‘I just want to watch Christmas films and eat mince pies’ holiday season? Make it your mission to enjoy the local Christmas market on your next lunch break or to grab one more gift from your list. It’ll make so much difference.

Looking for more healthy seasonal advice? Join the APN Health Tribe for fortnightly tips, tricks and news.

Nourishing well wishes,

Angelique

Consult your doctor or health care practitioner for any health problems, and before embarking on any new health regimes, using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications or food programmes.

Part of my work in clinic is to identity and address the root cause which is responsible for the symptoms a client is experiencing. The most common underlying condition I see is unbalanced hormones. Once I noticed that balancing hormones leads to the reduction of so many other symptoms, I knew I had to create a simple plan to help people understand and support their hormones.

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