Long periods of sitting has been linked to having negative health consequences. This is a presentation I prepared for one on my weekly Team Huddles.

1. Sitting is the New Smoking
Avoid Sitting Disease
People who sit for long periods of time have an increased risk of disease.
(January 2010, British Journal of Sports Medicine)
Marissa A. Jarrett
M.A. Ed-Instruction & Curriculum Development
B.S. Community Health Development

2. Sitting Disease
 Medical experts have started to refer to long periods of physical
inactivity and its negative consequences as “Sitting Disease.”
 Obesity
 Depression
 Anxiety
 Cardiovascular Disease
 Diabetes
 High Blood Pressure
 Cancer
 Stroke
If you are sedentary for more than 4 hours/day
you may be at risk for these health risks.

3. Statistics
 126,216 individuals (69, 776 women and 53,440 men) from
1993-2006 were followed in a study published in the American
Journal of Epidemiology:
Women who were inactive and sat over 6 hours a day
were 94% more likely to die during the time period studied
than those who were physically active and sat less than 3
hours a day.
Men were 48% more likely to die than their standing
counterparts.

4. Don‘t be an active couch potato
 According to a report by the University of Queensland, Australia,
School of Population Health:
“Even when adults meet physical activity guidelines, sitting for
prolonged periods can compromise metabolic health”(Thinline 2017, p. 25).

5. A little history. . .
 For most of human history we
were hunters & gatherers.
Hunter-gatherers would walk or
run 6-12 miles a day.
 Several thousand years ago man
began farming, raised crops and
kept animals. Farming required
manual labor and burned many
calories per day.
2017 Office-Ergo

6. A little history…
 In the late 18th century, the
industrial revolution began and
machines replaced many manual
tasks. Mechanical assistance
greatly reduced the amount of
physical activity in our daily lives.
 Very recently computers became
more common in the workplace.
Working on a computer all day is
very sedentary and is associated
with the factors that make up
sitting disease.
2017 Office-Ergo

7. Did you know. . .
 Sitting puts your metabolism to sleep. 60-
90 minutes of inactivity is enough to shut
down the enzymes responsible for
producing HDL – the “good” cholesterol,
and for regulating blood sugar. Chronic
inactivity is now thought to contribute to
our diabetes epidemic.
Conversely, during this same period,
consuming a fructose based product is
responsible for the formation of LDL –
the “bad” cholesterol.
2017 Office-Ergo

8. Did you know…
 Sitting tenses the hamstrings and
causes a flattening of normal
curve in the low back. This
distortion of the spine increases
the internal strain of the back.
Sitting upright or sitting in a
forward bent position is
particularly hard on the back.
Lordosis: flattening of the lower
back and resulting pelvic tilt.
2017 Office-Ergo

9. Did you know…
 An hour of daily exercise won’t counteract the negative
health effects of sitting. Running, biking and other types
of exercise are great for improving fitness, but they don’t
counteract the negative health effects of prolonged
sitting.
2017 Office-Ergo

10. Avoid Crossing Your Legs
The heart does not pump back to
itself from the lower body.
Sitting for a prolonged period of time
causes blood to pool in the legs.
Move your legs so the muscles can
squeeze the veins (peristalsis) to move
blood back to the heart.
Crossing your legs usually results in
pelvic tilt which results in lower back
pa

11. Tips
 Take the stairs
 Walk to and from the parking lot
 Stand up & move at least once every 30 minutes
 Walk on your breaks & lunch
 Keep your feet elevated
 Refill your water glass/bottle every hour
 Fill water bottles and use them as hand weights
 Find a buddy to keep you accountable
 Flex each muscle group independently while at your desk
 Walk around the floor on the way to and from your desk

12. What’s in it for me?
 Personal health benefits
 Better communication/interactions
 Better focus
 Longer lifespan
 Reduce risk of all disease
 Improved metabolism
 Improved immune response
 Decrease risk for dementia & Alzheimer's
 Opportunity to avoid negative impacts of prolonged sitting

13. Fitness Activities
 Squats: Between calls stand
up & sit down aim for 10-20
times
 Leg extensions: While sitting
(raise chair so legs can
come under seat then
extend and squeeze legs
out in front of you)
 Calf Raises
 Stand & do a knee curl
(bring your heel to your
glutes)
 Fidget
 Step side to side
 Using water bottles as hand weights
 Bicep Curls
 Lateral Raises
 Shoulder Presses
 Tricep extensions
 Back row
 Cross punches
 Bent over raises

14. Ergonomics