Sitting for long periods has become a routine part of modern life, especially for people working at desks or spending much of the day in front of a screen. While it might seem harmless, experts are increasingly pointing to the health risks that come with too much time spent seated.
Andrew Dorsey, MS
In this Q&A, Andrew Dorsey, MS, an Exercise Physiologist at The Mount Sinai Physiolab and Clinical Research Coordinator at Mount Sinai’s Department of Environmental Medicine, talks about what prolonged sitting is doing to our health and how small adjustments in our daily habits can make a meaningful difference.
Is sitting the new smoking? What does that mean?
Sitting puts millions of people at increased risk for chronic disease and other metabolic dysfunction. That includes things like type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and even some cancers.
Physical activity has gradually been removed from our routines as technology has made daily life more convenient. We’ve slowly engineered physical activity out of our lives. Even if you look at transportation, people are choosing the easiest way to do things just to not move around. Whether it’s electric scooters or escalators or online food delivery, we have fewer built-in reasons to move.
While sitting might not be exactly as harmful as smoking in a clinical sense, it is still a serious health concern. The data might not say it’s as risky as smoking, but it is something that affects almost everyone who works a desk job. It does significantly increase one’s risk for chronic disease. So, in that sense, sitting has become the new smoking.
What can I do during the workday to offset sitting all day?
Adults are recommended to have about 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week. That may seem like a lot, but it is manageable when you break it down. If you took three, five-minute breaks during a workday, five days a week, that’s 75 minutes. That’s already half of what you’re aiming for.
You can incorporate movement in short, simple ways:
- Get up from your desk, walk around, stretch, even walk in place. Just standing while you read something or take a phone call can help. It adds up over time.
- Walking meetings are also recommended. If you have something to talk about with a coworker, suggest walking while you chat. You’d be surprised how many people would be happy to move around instead of sitting in another conference room.
- Make the conscious decision to take the stairs, rather than the elevator, can make a difference. If you take the stairs once a week, that is a meaningful change. You don’t have to do it daily to see benefits.
How can I move more if I can’t leave my desk often?
If you are on a call or reading something, that is a good time to stand up. Standing desks have become more popular. They are not for everyone, but if it works for you, it is a good way to reduce the time spent sitting.
Treadmill desks and under-desk walking pads are also suggested, and people who work from home sometimes walk slowly while answering emails or on Zoom calls. You don’t need to walk for hours, even 20 minutes a day can have real value.
Even seated movement helps. There is a technique called The Soleus Push Up . Essentially, it is doing calf raises while sitting. You just raise and lower your heels. It’s simple, and it improves circulation. That is added physical activity even while seated.
There are also easy ways to move more during your commute. Getting off the subway one stop earlier, or walking one stop further before getting on, adds a little physical activity to your day without needing extra time.
What’s one small change I can make that helps me turn movement into a routine?
The goals that you set are important. A lot of people set goals that are too big at first. For example, deciding to walk to work every day might not be realistic. It might rain. You might be tired. And if you miss a day, you feel like you failed and stop trying. But if your goal is to get off the subway two stops early a couple times a week, that is more manageable.
Smaller goals are easier to stick with and can boost motivation. Instead of feeling bad about missing a big goal, you feel good that you did something productive. That feeling helps the habit stick.
It can help to share your goal with someone else. If you tell a coworker or friend, that helps with accountability. It’s easier to stay consistent when someone else is doing it with you.
How does staying active help us?
In addition to the obvious physical benefits such as reduced risk for cardiovascular disease or improvements in weight and your body mass index, physical activity has strong mental health benefits too. It improves energy, focus, and decreases fatigue.
Some people might worry about leaving their desks during the day, and might think that taking a break will make them fall behind. But even just walking a short loop around the office can help reset your brain. You might actually be more productive afterward.