You have probably heard the phrase, “sitting is the new smoking”.
I have to admit, when I first read this sentence as a headline while doing research for an upcoming wellness presentation I thought, “Come on, is it really THAT bad?!”. My second thought was, “If it’s true, that is the most alarming and unhelpful piece of health information I have ever read!”.
We now live in a sitting society.
We sit, sometimes for hours, commuting to and from work every day, we sit at our desks, in meetings, at lunch and dinner. Heck, we’re mostly sitting when watching our kids play sports and perform recitals.
Don’t get me wrong. Much of the sitting we do is necessary because of the distances we must travel to get to work and the type of work we do. Naturally, I’m sitting down at my desk while I write this article – how very ironic!
So, is sitting as detrimental to our health as lighting up a Lucky Strike?
There have been several studies over the last few years taking a closer look at how prolonged sitting may be associated with increased risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and impaired insulin sensitivity. However, the results of the most recent study published in Annals of Internal Medicine less than a month ago appear to provide the most reliable recent data. That is because previous studies relied on self-reporting to evaluate the total sedentary time. This study used hip-mounted accelerometers resulting in more objective data.
The most important contribution of this study involved the separating of two sedentary behaviors: total daily sedentary time (how much time we spend sitting each day) and uninterrupted sedentary bout duration (length of time we sit at a stretch before getting up).
Dr. David A. Alter, an associate professor at the University of Toronto in Ontario summarized the two extremes of the finding well by stating; “Persons with uninterrupted sedentary bouts of 30 minutes or more had the highest risk for death if total sedentary time also exceeded 12.5 hours per day. Conversely, in those whose daily sedentary volumes were low, uninterrupted bout lengths had little if any associated effects on mortality.”.
Yes, prolonged sitting does seem to have an impact on our health. Though the exact causes and effects are still unclear, why wait?!
You can be the most effective and respected leader when you take care of yourself and your body. Your organization’s success relies on your health!
This is why we decided to call October “Walking Meeting Month” at Diamond6. As the days start to cool down and the leaves change color we are getting up from our desks and heading outside to discuss business opportunities, brainstorm new ideas, and plan events – all while getting a little exercise and fresh air.
Come walk with us!
Throughout the month of October, we will be sharing tips, tricks, and strategies around walking while working. Learn about some of the surprising benefits of getting outside in the middle of the day and HOW to actually make that happen.
Then, when you’re outside for your walking meeting snap a picture or take a short video. Post it to our Facebook page, share it on LinkedIn, or tweet it on Twitter, using —-> #D6WalkingMeetingChallenge.
We will be selecting a winner at random on November 1, 2017 from all submissions. The more you walk, the more pictures you take, the higher chances of winning!
Ready. Set. WALK!