How To Microdose Movement
Sitting for too long is bad for your health. Allie Volpe of vox.com shares how to move your body throughout the day.
Photo creds: vox.com
I am ashamed to admit how much time I spend sitting. One of the lucky workers with a computer job, I am planted in a chair for most of the day. As I write these words, I am — you guessed it — sitting. Save for my daily workouts and brief walks to and from my car or the bus (where I, again, sit) and friends’ homes or restaurants (where sitting once more occurs), the entirety of my day is spent seated. In my 20s, I never paid much attention to my sedentary habits. Now, a decade later, I feel the tension in my lower back and hips if I sit for too long.
I’m not the only one hopelessly devoted to the sit. American adults spend an average of 7.7 hours a day seated. Both prolonged sitting — extended, uninterrupted periods of time in a seat — and sedentary behaviors — tasks that expend extremely little energy, such as playing video games, watching television, using a computer, or reading a book — are linked to a number of negative health outcomes. Sedentary behavior increases your risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even early death. Sitting for long periods of time also ups your chances for blood clots, back and joint pain, weight gain, and cancer.
And regular physical activity does little to offset the negative impacts of prolonged sitting. Keith Diaz, an associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, says, “The muscles, it’s great for them to be active and stimulated really heavily and really hard for 30 minutes or 60 minutes, whatever you do for your exercise. But eventually they stop doing their job again when you don’t use them.”
When seated, leg muscles are in a shortened position, which can lead to stiffness, pain, and difficulty moving, says Scott Capozza, an oncology physical therapist at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale Cancer Center. “Also, if we’re sitting for longer periods of time, we’re not engaging in any kind of cardiovascular activity,” he adds. “So it’s not good for the heart, for the lungs, for our circulation.”
There is some good news, though: A 2023 study co-authored by Diaz found that just five minutes of light walking every half hour can help reduce some of these risks. There are also modifications for those with limited mobility or who use a wheelchair to get their movement breaks, experts say. In general, experts consider one hour to be the maximum amount of time people should spend sitting at any given time: In addition to the 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity physical activity recommended by the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, you should strive to get out of your seat at least once an hour to offset the negative effects of prolonged sitting. Here’s some expert-approved advice on how to do it.