Is sitting unhealthy?
Maybe you’ve heard that sitting is ruining your life, one chair at a time. Or that sitting is a dangerous health hazard like smoking.
On the other hand, some Insta-experts say it doesn’t matter how you sit. That posture isn’t important.
So who’s right?
Sitting and Health
A sedentary lifestyle negatively affects our health. Sitting goes hand in hand with inactivity.
Being sedentary increases the risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. But the risks are probably smaller than you’d expect.
Sedentary individuals are 22% more likely to have a shortened lifespan compared to their active counterparts (Vallance 2018). Not ideal. But less risky than I would have guessed.
Sitting vs. Smoking
It’s not a fair comparison. Smoking is far worse than sitting too much.
Compared to smoking, sitting is safer than riding a stationary bike with knee-pads and a helmet.
For the full story, check out Is Sitting the New Smoking? (The Truth)
Sitting and Pain
Here’s where it gets more complicated.
Research doesn’t always show a clear relationship between sitting and musculoskeletal pain. It depends on which study you read. However, working in awkward postures is linked to low back pain (Nourollahi 2018).
Posture does matter.
Sitting doesn’t always cause pain. But it’s often a factor.
Since 2020 I’ve treated a lot of patients who work from home. They developed neck or back pain from a sub-optimal home office set up.
If sitting causes you discomfort, check out 5 Ways to Sit with Less Pain
The Solution
Exercising 30-40 minutes a day offsets the health risks of sitting, according to a recent study (Ekelund 2020).
If life has you sitting a lot, stop by the gym for a quick session. Consider going for a walk around lunchtime. Or try one of these low-impact cardio exercises.
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