Prolonged Sitting Not Healthy

Excerpts from ABC Health and Wellbeing

Our sedentary lifestyles defy the usual health recommendations of exercising for 30 minutes on most days is supposed to keep you in good health.

If you sit most of your working day - research shows this is not enough.

If you are meeting - or even exceeding - the Australian Government's physical activity recommendations you still need to move more.

Why is sitting so bad?

Researchers are still trying to understand exactly why it is that sitting has such a deleterious effect on our health.

But Thorp says it appears to be related to the enzymes that help to regulate blood fats and sugars, which are released as certain muscles contract when you stand.

"Muscle contraction is a major contributor to many of the body's regulatory processes, such as breaking down glucose, and when we sit our leg muscles are essentially inactive," she says.

"Loss of local muscle contraction during prolonged sitting is shown to 'slow down' the production and activities of key enzymes involved in removing fats from the blood and exercising won't prevent this 'slowing down' from occurring.

"It is also shown to reduce the uptake of glucose from the blood stream into skeletal muscle."

However, you only need to stand up or take a short walk in order for your leg muscles to contract, which can help prevent those key enzymes from being switched off.

"Our group recently reported that breaking up prolonged sitting every 20 minutes with a two-minute walking break ameliorates the adverse effects," she says.

See full article from ABC Health and Wellbeing

Try getting out of your chair every 30 minutes

To prevent the detrimental effects of sitting all day try getting out of your chair regularly.
For example you could set a timer for every 30 minutes.
Every time there is a phone call use that opportunity to move around. (May even counter balance any detrimental effects of wireless technology.)

Related Information
Are you sitting at your desk properly?
Height Adjustable Desk

Which of these men are sitting correctly?

Update Aug 2023

Excerpts from Perils of Sedentry Behaviour with Prof David Dunstan Head of Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes Aug 2023

Deputy Director of The Baker Institute.

It is not all sitting that is harmful - just high amounts

Reduced Blood Flow

There are cascading consequences in terms of being able to manage the body's clearance of some of blood glucose levels, our blood insulin levels, blood fat levels throughout the day.

When sitting we're not using our muscles and our muscles are essentially the body's engine for many of the body's processes.

Standing is Better

Standing is better than sitting but not enough to counter the sedentry lifestyle.

We need to move

There are risks associated with sitting most pronounced in people who are not doing much physical activity.

It is recommended to build up your activity and start to progress to the end goal of 45 minutes of high heart rate activity most days.