The video shows, through simple 3D animation, that long-term sitting is associated not only with the usual suspects of lower back pain and weight gain, but also blood clots, type 2 diabetes, and cardio-vascular disease (people with jobs that require them to sit for extended periods of time at a desk, for example, are twice as likely to develop heart disease than those with active jobs, the video explains).
A Public Health Approach
Given the growing prominence of jobs that require long stretches of sitting, as well as leisure activities that involve sitting – not just watching TV, but also driving, writing, and browsing the internet, to name a few – many doctors and researchers are pushing for a more public health-minded approach to getting people out of their seats and into more active lifestyles.
“Practical and policy approaches to addressing too much sitting as a population-health issue would involve innovations on multiple levels,” writes one team of researchers in the journal Exercise and Sports Sciences Reviews(4).
“For example, public information campaigns might emphasize reducing sitting time as well as increasing physical activity. There might be more widespread use of innovative technologies that can provide more opportunities to reduce sitting time (for example, height-adjustable desks) or new regulations in workplaces to reduce or break-up extended periods of job-related sitting.”
If You Work in an Office, Make Your Own Stand Up Desk
Make sure you also equip your office with a barstool so that you can switch between sitting and standing anytime you want.