Get Off Your Butt And Live Longer!

Recently an acquaintance mentioned an article about how sitting can kill you. I thought, "Yet another perfectly passive activity that is going to be my demise.". Listening further to the information I decided it was time to do a Google. Yes, it appears that sitting has many adverse affects on our bodies and can result in your premature death. Maybe the saying, "Take the weight off your feet." needs to be revised to, "To take the weight of your derriere...".

An article published in an American medical journal, "American Journal of Epidemiology", reveals some interesting facts for those who have been working in a sedentary job for ten years or longer. Regardless of the exercise you do outside of your working hours, it is the prolonged sitting at work that can result in -

• 94% higher risk of colon cancer (about 110,000 people in the US are diagnosed each year / 14000 new cases each year in Australia)
• 44% higher risk of rectal cancer (about 40,000 cases are recorded in the US each year).

These results were also evident in highly active people who spent long stretches of time sitting. So how can you get around this issue? The article suggests talking to management about an adjustable desk. Raising this issue at a team meeting or talking with the Occupational Health and Safety Officer in your business or organisation would be a good place to start.

Teaching is not a sedentary job by any means, but since I've been working from home I spend prolonged hours at the computer writing and developing educational resources. Since reading many articles on this topic I've now set my timer at 30 minutes. Once it rings I save whatever I'm doing and move about. I complete yoga stretches and/or do another task that needs to be done around the house. Initially I thought this change in behaviour would interfere with my productivity, I've found exactly the opposite has occurred. I still complete all tasks I've set for my work and a few around the house that haven't been timetabled at all. Body, work and house chores all win!

Other research conducted at the University of Queensland, Australia, used an accelerometer to measure participants' movements and discovered that increased movement improved -

• waist circumference i.e. it decreased
• triglyceride levels
• and, plasma glucose levels.

Diabetes Australia, although pleased to see the results from this research, stressed the need to be active as often as possible during the day. This association stated that 60% of new cases diagnosed each year could be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight and being active. Travellers to and from Australia beware. Those long-haul flights can be a real nuisance with a drop of 24% in the effectiveness of insulin after 24 hours of sitting.

An office worker is the most likely candidate to spend a considerable amount of their work time sitting at a desk, so here's another tip for getting active during the day - move the filing cabinets as far away from your desk as possible. This may or may not be possible in your office, but even the extra time out of the sitting position while you file documents is a bonus for your body. If you can't do this, why not try a few stretches every 30 minutes while standing at your desk. Another suggestion is to walk over to a colleague and talk with them, rather than send an email. Good old fashion communication! Explain to your manager, supervisor or boss why this is so important. Better to have a healthy employee than a lawsuit.

Remember the old song, "The ankle bone is connected to the leg bone....", suffice to say there is a lot of truth in these lyrics. Your pelvis supports the spine and when sitting all day, particularly if working at a computer, results in structural stress on your spine. Assume the correct sitting position - feet flat on the floor, knees bent at 90°, hips bent at 90°, back straight and elbows at side bent at 90°.

Chiropractor, Dr Brett Hill, discusses how sitting anywhere i.e. car, desk, couch etc, can have a profound effect on your neck. "Very often when we are seated in these positions our neck will be projected or slumped forwards. The average head weighs around 5kg (10lbs), so you can imagine that as it falls forward the muscles at the back of the neck and even down into the shoulders are going to have to work very hard to keep it there leading to tightness, pain and often injury." Ouch! The video demonstrates a few quick and easy stretches that will help relieve tension in your neck and shoulders.

A longitudinal study that tracked approximately 17 000 Canadians over a period of twelve years found that those who sat for prolonged periods of time were at a higher risk of dying prematurely. Peter Katzmarzyk of the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Baton Rouge, who led the Canadian study, could not state exactly how much sitting time was bad, but did comment that the more often a person can interrupt this sedentary behaviour the better it is for a person's general health. Premature deaths could occur from heart disease as people with a sedentary job have twice the rate of cardiovascular disease as those with standing or "high movement" jobs.

Another health risk that plagues Western cultures is cholesterol. There is a very helpful protein called lipoprotein lipase and part of its function is to mop up cholesterol and fat from your blood and convert them into energy. Now here's the interesting info, when you sit, YES you guessed it, this function is almost switched off. Due to your skeletal muscles relaxing when you're seated, an area where these proteins are widely distributed, this has an anaesthetising effect on the enzyme. According to one study, the activity drops by 90%. You have to wonder what is happening to the cholesterol and fat while lipoprotein lipase is having down time.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

While you are waiting for printing or a download to happen why not try a couple of these exercises. Don't forget to try some of these during AD breaks when you are watching TV during your down time.

• lunges
• squats
• tricep dips
• calf stretches
• try some brain gym exercises.

Now before it's too late - GET UP AND MOVE!