Warning – Be Sure You Are Standing Up When You Read This…

I always thought that my 5-6 days of fairly intense workouts were more than enough to counter my otherwise sedentary lifestyle. Like many people, I spend a good deal of time sitting down – working on the computer, reading, and the occasional TV watching (it’s hard to avoid a good episode of 24 or a Nova basketball game…).

But now some research has just come out that says that sitting for prolonged periods – even if you also exercise regularly – could be bad for your health.

In an editorial published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define physical activity to highlight the dangers of sitting. While health officials have issued guidelines recommending minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven’t suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated position.

“After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals,” Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucose and fat in the body start to shut down.

Even for people who exercise, spending long stretches of time sitting at a desk is still harmful. Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day – but still spend a lot of time sitting – might get more benefit if that exercise were spread across the day, rather than in a single bout.

A study published last year tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, and researchers found people who sat more had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised. “We don’t have enough evidence yet to say how much sitting is bad,” said Peter Katzmarzyk of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, who led the Canadian study. “But it seems the more you can get up and interrupt this sedentary behavior, the better.”

Figures from a U.S. survey in 2003-2004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting, from working at their desks to sitting in cars. Experts said more research is needed to figure out just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be possible to offset those effects.

“People should keep exercising because that has a lot of benefits,” Ekblom-Bak said. “But when they’re in the office, they should try to interrupt sitting as often as possible,” she said. “Don’t just send your colleague an e-mail. Walk over and talk to him. Standing up.” Other suggestions include climbing stairs rather than using elevators and escalators, taking 5 minute breaks during sedentary work, and walking to the store rather than taking the car. All of these types of activity will be as important as exercise in living a healthy lifestyle.

I have already tried implementing some of these lifestyle changes, but I must admit it was kind of hard trying to to type this newsletter while walking up and down my staircase…

To your health and happiness,