blog

Most of us at this point are aware on some cognitive level of the dangers of too much sitting. Reports of the adverse health effects and statistics about shortened life spans have been hitting the media lately.

A recent Australian study followed approximately 200,000 adults 45 years and older, and found that those who sat more than 11 hours/day were 40% more likely to die than those who sat less than 4 hours/day. Exercising didn’t help the 11-hour seat-huggers unfortunately.

In response to this ergonomic error, I’ve been hearing stories of patients creating standing desks at work. For those who are chained to a chair, glued to a computer, or shackled to a desk, this is a good option to start with.

Don't sit down

At home, it can be a little tougher to get out of the recliner or comfy couch, especially once we settle in for the night watching our favorite shows, reading a chapter or two, or surfing the web on our tablets, sometimes all three at the same time!

And it may not be enough to just stand up. As evolutionary luck would have it, we are built for MOVEMENT.

Our beginnings are fraught with running from the saber-toothed tiger, hunting what we could catch, and gathering edible plants for survival. NOT sitting to furiously type on a small keyboard attached to an artificially lit screen, or watching the weather report on the 10 o’clock news.

And evolution has really has gone through A LOT of trouble to make us efficient two-legged movers. In fact, of the 4000 species of mammals currently in existence, we are the ONLY ONE who is upright when walking. And, one of if not THE most efficient long-distance traveler by foot.