Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?

[simple girl]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17sitting-t.html?_r=1&ref=health

Really interesting article...made me think hard about how much time I sit still and surf the net...time to get a treadmill with a spot for my computer!

 

[W2R]

The article said of those who didn't gain,

Their bodies simply responded naturally by making more little movements than they had before the overfeeding began, like taking the stairs, trotting down the hall to the office water cooler, bustling about with chores at home or simply fidgeting.

I wish I had known of this study back in first grade when my teacher continually railed on me for "fidgeting" in class. "But Mrs. Durning, fidgeting is GOOD for me!"

 

[GregLee]

The conventional wisdom, though, is that if you watch your diet and get aerobic exercise at least a few times a week, you’ll effectively offset your sedentary time. A growing body of inactivity research, however, suggests that this advice makes scarcely more sense than the notion that you could counter a pack-a-day smoking habit by jogging.

With one exception, it doesn't seem to me that the research as characterized in this article supports the above conclusion. That exception is the relation found in Australia between TV watching and death rate, since there, obesity and other factors were controlled for.

 

[freebird5825]

I can certainly vouch for the effects of being tied to a computer at a desk for over 2 decades, under deadline stress and on the receiving end of toxic w*rk politics.
I developed a lot of problems in my upper body, from fingertips to lower back, from lack of movement for hours on end. The workplace without periodic motion (stretching, walking) is a certain recipe for RSI (repetitive strain injury). I am still feeling some of the long term effects, even after 4 years of FIRE. I continue to do most of the stretching exercises I was shown in PT.
The good news is I have achieved a very good recovery, but never will be 100%.
My current daily routine is to get up and do something...every half hour. I used to set a kitchen timer to remind me to get up, but now it is a natural habit.

 

[Nords]

Maybe I should start out with a cheap used Craigslist model, see how I like it, and eventually attach it to a small generator that I could feed into the same circuit our photovoltaic array uses to feed power into HECO's grid...

I wonder what MPH I'd achieve.

 

[haha]

I think this is very apt to be a bogus relationship. Until very recently, socioeconomic status was associted with sitting while at work, and high socioeconomic status has always shown huge positive correlation with longevity.

15- 20 years ago a big study (since shown to be flawed) came out of Harvard that showed a strong correlation with longevity and calories expended per week in leisure activities.

Who gets out and runs after work? The programmer or the laborer? So the above study could be seen as an affirmation of yet again, it helps to have high SES. It also would tend to refute the idea that sitting is an independent life shortening activity, as those leisure exercisers are the very people who largely sit at work.

Ha

 

[JakeBrake]

As one of my co-workers at Megacorp once said, "The more I sit, the more I want to sit."

 

[rescueme]

"Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?"

Almost. During my bachelor party, my (future) wife walked in while I was getting a lap dance. ...

 

[simple girl]

"Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?"

Almost. During my bachelor party, my (future) wife walked in while I was getting a lap dance. ...

 

[easysurfer]

I'm guilty of sitting long in front of the computer and not taking enough breaks. I might have even walked around more when I used to w*rk. I guess now since I've FIRE'd it goes in streaks. Sometimes I'd be in front of the computer for hours. Other times I'm out walking around at a mall in the middle of the week, miday.

I suppose, the key is to take breaks and not be like those guys who keel over with a seizure while sitting 24 hours straight playing video games.

 

[Amethyst]

I was developing those neck/shoulder problems a few years back. When things got really bad, I started going to a PT, who asked about my work habits. She narrowed down the problem to a) insane commute and b) too much computer time without breaks.

She said they have discovered the only health benefit to being a smoker: Smokers take frequent breaks! If smokers can take breaks all day, why can't everyone else?

I took her hint, and started [-]smoking[/-] taking breaks.

Amethyst

 

[Moscyn]

Not sure whether it amounts to lethal but it is certainly contributing to my back ache and expanding butt and waist. Consequently, it is expanding a hole in my wallet as I have to go buy larger skirts and pants.

 

[HFWR]

"Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?"

Almost. During my bachelor party, my (future) wife walked in while I was getting a lap dance. ...

This would depend on whether anything else was "standing"...