So I’m in my car the other day listening to the news on the radio and the guy comes on with a health report about the dangers of an inactive lifestyle. Too many people are spending too much time sitting, he says. Studies, he says, show sitting too much can do irreparable damage to your body over the long term. He goes so far as to say sitting is the new smoking.
Really? This is distressing to me. You see, sitting is one of my favorite things. It’s one of the things I do best. I’ve gotten really good at it. I can sit in multiple positions for hours and never stiffen up. I can do the standard upright arms-at-your-side technique, transition seamlessly into the right side elbow lean, switch to the left, ooze down into the slump, snap into the legs underneath pose (we used to call this Indian style but I guess that’s politically incorrect now), and finally….spectacularly….whip my legs over the side of the chair and do the sideways sit. For me it’s beyond relaxing. It’s an art form, a kind of ballet of laziness.
Now you tell me this can be as bad for me as smoking? Wow. It got me thinking about how much sitting we actually do in a typical day. (I was sitting when I thought about this).
What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning? Go to the bathroom right? And promptly sit on the throne to take care of business. After bathroom duty, it’s breakfast time, where you sit to enjoy your corn flakes and orange juice. Actually, I do know a person who stands while she eats. She always looks like she’s in a hurry, like she’s at an airport at one of those standing tables wolfing down a quick bite while trying not to miss her plane.
Then it’s either off to work or, for the retired, settling down into some relaxing activities. Either way, you’re sitting. In the car or in your recliner. If you have a desk job, you sit all day, interrupted by lunch where you sit at a restaurant. After a hard day’s work, you can’t wait to get back in your car (sitting), drive home, eat dinner (sitting), and then unwind with your favorite TV shows (sitting). If you no longer work, you likely spend a good chunk of your day doing stuff like reading (sitting), crossword puzzles (yep), movies (uh-huh), sewing (oh yeah), in my case writing (hard to type in a standing position), and of course snacking (sitting…or, if still in bed, laying).
But wait you say. You work out right? You get your walk in, your treadmill, your stair climber, your jog, your free weights(some of which is done sitting). You’re good right?
Not good enough says the man on the radio. It’s not how much time you spend doing yoga, it’s how much total time you spend sitting.
What’s the answer? Stand America! Stand while you eat! Stand while you work! Stand while you watch TV! Stand in church! (which will be a bit awkward when everyone else is sitting) Stand when you read! Stand when you pet your dog! Stand when you tie your shoes (also good for the hamstrings). Stand and stand some more!
Whew! It’s all so exhausting. Might as well face the truth. We can’t stand standing. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to stand up for my right to sit down. Just pick me up on your way out of the spin class.