By Kerri Kreh Reda, M.P.H.
You may have heard about the negative impact that sitting too much has on your health. It has been in the news recently, with more information coming out as new studies are published. Not long ago I heard that sitting is as bad for your health as smoking.
In a nutshell, here’s what the studies are saying: sitting too much is NOT good for our health. However, science does not yet know exactly why that is. The studies found that too much sitting has been linked to:
- An increased risk of diabetes (increased blood sugar and poorer sugar metabolism), heart disease (increased risk of heart attack and higher blood pressure), as well as cancer
- An increased risk of becoming disabled
- An increased risk of obesity
- Higher bad (LDL) cholesterol
- Increased appetite
- Increased belly fat
- Poorer mental health and an increased risk of developing dementia
Who among us, with our current lifestyle of sitting at a desk, sitting behind the wheel of a car, or sitting in front of a computer or TV screen, isn’t sitting too much? And yes, I am sitting while writing this. Even if you exercise regularly, which is great for you, it is not enough to counteract the negative impact of sitting too much. Exercise will diminish the negative impact of sitting, but it will not completely negate the impact of sitting all day.
Here are some suggestions for moving more throughout your day:
- Set an alarm on your phone for every 30 minutes and get up and walk. Aim for 3 minutes for every ½ hour of sitting.
- While watching television, get up during commercials and move.
- Although walking is better than standing, standing is better than sitting. Try using a standing desk at work, or stand while on the phone or while eating lunch.
Now, get up and take a walk – I am!
Kerri Kreh Reda, M.P.H., is a Human Development Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program. She can be reached at 631-727-7850 ext. 330 or at kkr5@cornell.edu.