How Your Chair is Literally Killing You
Granted, when you think about all the things that are slowly killing you, things like second-hand smoke, the chemicals in your food, and the guy in the cubicle next to you with the annoying laugh probably come to mind before your office chair or the sofa in your living room.
Think again says, James Levine, an endocrinologist at Mayo clinic and author of the article “Killer Chairs” in November’s issue of Scientific American.
Levine cites the results of 18 studies over a period of 16 years involving 800,000 people. Among other things, they found that the average person spends 13 hours a day seated. That means in a normal 16 hours of wakefulness, we are only physically mobile about 3 of those hours (similar to the brown bat).
With the advent of personal pedometers like the FitBit or Nike’s Fuel, more and more of us have discovered what Levine is talking about. Someone with an office job finds it pretty tough to get in the recommended 10,000 steps (roughly 5 miles a day) without purposely adjusting their habits.
Relying on a car as a primary form of transportation robs you of thousands of potential steps. It means you probably get only 1 to 2 miles in.
Levine says that the human body was not designed for this sedentary life and, as a result, our internal systems suffer. People who sit for 8 hours a day double their chances of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
“Overall, when you combine all causes of death and compare any group of sitters with those who are more active, sitters have a 50% greater likelihood of dying,” says Levine.
The lack of movement slows your metabolism, which predisposes your system towards fat storage.
But lean people are also adversely affected. Sitting immediately after a meal leads to high level blood sugar spikes. The good news is that taking a simple walk instead cuts those spikes in half.
This is a big deal to your pancreas. Throw it too many highs and lows and you can permanently wear the organ out. Bam, no more insulin regulation. Statistically, 1 in 4 adults are either diabetic or on their way to diabetes. We are fast becoming a nation of broken pancreases.
The next time your Barcalounger beckons, remember it’s no different than a wisp of cigarette smoke or a Twinkie: just another killer in disguise. Your chair might not be the devil, but it certainly isn’t your friend.
In the end, as pedestrian as walking is, those 10,000 steps a day might be the new behavior that saves your life.
Hey Rob,
ReplyDeleteI have been skating around a 60 acre lake in Naples, Fl. every morning. Today it only took 24 minutes to go around once. The pavement is fairly rough and requires more effort than the smooth floor in the skating rink in Aurora, IL.
I have butt muscles that I did not know existed. Last October, I decided to join a fellow church member in skating. I remembered how I enjoyed skating when I was 17, I had to relearn all of the skills that were unused for 63 years. I got in 55 hour of rink time before I came to Florida. Now I am putting on my skates before breakfast and putting in an hour of skating. The resort here is quiet and there is little traffic at any time of day. This is an RV Resort and we have a nice lot on the beach. Point is that no rocking chair is going to get me. At 80, I am having a good time. Yes, I have had to learn to remain upright. The trick is to keep your skates under you and not lean too far out of your balance zone. BTW, you asked me once at a teachers conference how it feels to have been right on the issue of Civil Rights and the Civil Rights Law of 1964. It still feels good and is a major motivator to keep pushing on for more reform. I'm delighted with Obama and his executive actions on immigration and Cuba. I'm glad this connection is available. It is always good to read your stuff.