How our sedentary habits sap years from our lives
In this age of ubiquitous smart phones and tablets, there are countless different places you could be reading this article. The morning bus ride to school, the train to work, your couch after a long day, a mall bench during a lull in a shopping spree—technological advances has made finding information on the Internet easy at just about any time or location.
If you’re a patient of gastric bypass, lap band or sleeve gastrectomy in Salt Lake City, doing some independent online research to supplement your doctor’s recommendations on losing weight and staying healthy post-op may be beneficial, but you also need to think about how you’re looking for that information. No, I don’t mean the way you type searches into Google—I’m talking about what your body is likely doing right now: sitting.
Whether you’re reading this from your favorite desk chair or the convenient comfort of your living room couch, take a minute to get up and stretch. Losing weight after bariatric surgery hinges on developing a more active lifestyle, making it imperative for you to keep your time parked in front of the TV or computer to a minimum.
The average American life is becoming increasingly sedentary, and it’s having a huge impact on our health. Even if you get the 30 minutes of moderate activity recommended for adults, research shows that staying off your butt for the rest of the day could be tantamount to living a long and healthy life.
Studying the Couch Potato Problem
In a study published in the journal BMJ Open, researchers took a broad look at the cumulative effect that sedentary habits had on overall life expectancy. The study pooled data from five other studies that asked participants about their sedentary behaviors, like how much time each day they spent sitting, watching TV and using a computer. By looking at the mortality risk associated with these sedentary habits, researchers were able to calculate how many years of life we might gain by removing these risk factors.
They found that sitting is, shockingly, just as capable of reducing a person’s life expectancy as smoking. The results suggest that even if you exercise regularly, sitting for more than three hours each day can cut two years off your life expectancy, while watching TV for more than two hours a day can chop another 1.4 years off of your lifespan.
Moving Forward
The idea that getting Americans out of their chairs can increase our average life expectancy from 78.5 to 80.5—or even higher if we cut down on our TV time—is a significant one. Unfortunately, the idea may be easier to preach than it is to practice. With so many confined to desk jobs that demand long seated hours every day, the national norm is heavily skewed towards sitting more than three hours, and in many cases more than eight.
However, this doesn’t mean you should give up on trying to spend more time on your feet. Even if your job requires long hours in front of a computer screen, you can make an independent effort to spend less time sitting. Here are some ideas to make your office life less sedentary.
- Use technology to your advantage. Technology may have contributed to our sedentariness, but it may also be a useful tool in reversing the trend. Try setting a reminder on your phone once an hour to remind you to get up, stretch your legs and walk around a bit. The Internet is also awash with articles like this one that will help you get more active at work, so do a little digging to find some more great methods of ditching the desk chair.
- Walk to lunch. It may be tempting to squeeze some extra work in on your lunch break, but your midday meal is one of your only scheduled times to break free from work. Even if you bring your lunch, try to get outdoors and walk around in the sunshine before getting back to the grind.
- Don’t email across the office. If you need to speak to someone in your office, don’t let the temptation of an instant message prevent you from taking the few steps to his or her desk. A conversation with a coworker provides you with a great excuse to get up and squeeze a few steps in.