Even if you do vigorous exercise, excessive sitting raises mortality risk significantly, says a study on older women.
A study in the Journal of the American Heart Association indicates that older women who sit for 11.7 hours or more daily increase their mortality risk by 30%, regardless of vigorous exercise.
Steve Nguyen, PhD., analyzed data from 6,489 women 63 to 99.
These women wore hip devices for up to seven days to measure sitting and daily activity, and were followed for eight years.
The study, led by Andrea LaCroix, PhD., was part of the long-term Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), ongoing since 1991.
Nguyen’s paper uniquely applied the CHAP algorithm, a machine-learned tool, to differentiate between standing and sitting more accurately than previous methods.
What is “sedentary behavior”?
This excludes sleep. It’s wakeful or conscious behavior in a seated or reclined position – with low expenditure of energy.
Thus, seated weightlifting does NOT count.
Excess Sitting Is an Independent Risk for Shorter Lifespan
Prolonged sitting impedes muscle contractions, blood flow and glucose metabolism – all bad for overall health.
Dr. LaCroix notes that exercise alone can’t mitigate these effects.
Women in the study who engaged in any level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity — but also sat for long durations — still faced heightened risks.
Like to briskly walk? Well, keep doing it, but it won’t do a thing to negate the harmful effects of excessive sitting!
LaCroix recommends reducing sitting time to under 11 hours per day and breaking sitting periods to no more than 30 minutes.
Standing up every 20 minutes can be beneficial, says Dr. LaCroix.
Do some stretching while standing in place, even. Balance on one foot to make it interesting.
Dr. Nguyen acknowledges that not all sitting is equally harmful, especially for cognitively stimulating activities like learning a new language.
Additional Information on Reducing the “Sitting Disease”
The paper points out that in this day and age, cutting down on sitting time is easier said than done.
- Every time you’re talking on your phone, walk around, even if it’s slowly.
- Even standing in one spot while on your phone helps cut down on the negative effects of prolonged time in a chair.
- If you can stand while doing something, then stand.
- Get a treadmill desk. This is the most effective means of counteracting the sitting disease.
I’ve been using a treadmill desk for over 13 years.
Even if you can only walk 0.5 mph on it while using a keyboard or mouse, or while viewing YouTube or what-have-you, this will go a long way to negating the adverse effects of being on your can so much.
It’s amazing how quickly 45 minutes of walking on a treadmill desk will fly by while engrossed in a video, on social media or catching up on the latest news.
“Sit less, live longer.”
More info: sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240228115258.htm
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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