SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR
Working out isn't working out.
WHAT IS SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR?
Too often, sedentary behavior is confused for inactivity. Inactivity occurs when you do not meet the recommended guidelines for moderate or vigorous physical activity. Sedentary behavior is the time you spend sitting or lying down. Even if we are staying active, everyday conveniences like a TV remote can contribute to our increased sedentary time. Remember the old days when you had to stand up to change the channel? Archaic, I know. Â
They are not one and the same, and both can have detrimental effects. The issue over the years is the lack of emphasis we've put on sedentary behavior (Edwardson, 2012).
Check out this TEDed for some of the adverse effects of too much time sitting down.
WHAT IS AT STAKE?
Within a few short weeks into the COVID-19 shutdown in March, 2020, it became clear that regular exercise is not enough to keep us healthy. What we do in between workouts matters.
RISK FOR HEART DISEASE
According to a systemic review on the effects of sedentary behavior on health, the meta analysis revealed that it did not matter what level of physical activity an individual was at, if they were spending too much time being sedentary, they had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (Tremblay, 2011).
A spike of sedentary behavior was seen seen because people were struggling to find activities that were deemed safe. This level of sedentary behavior increase risk of atherosclerotic disease. This includes strokes, heart attack, and angina
(Mattioli, 2020).
​
For more information on heart disease, it's effects, and causes, click on the heart model to the left!
SO WHAT NOW?
While we aren't in a complete shutdown anymore, there's no guaranteeing we aren't headed that way again. This doesn't need to be the end of healthy living for us though.Â
So how do we combat this persistent sedentary lifestyle?
LOWERING YOUR SCREEN TIME
set your phone down!
As if our phones and devices didn't already monopolize all of our time, screen time has skyrocketed during quarantine. According to one study in Spain that compared young adults' pre and during COVID-19 behaviors, screen time went up by about two hours every day on phones alone. In Denmark, screen time increased by 185%.Â
This has led to various problems like a disturbance of sleep latency and wake up time, not to mention the potential long term strain it puts on our eyes.Â
By simply monitoring and limiting our screen times, it can make tremendous impacts on our sedentary time and overall health.
(Sanudo, 2020).
SHAKE IT OFF
With most school and work being remote, cutting down on screen time is not always doable. The best ways to fight sedentary behavior in a digital world are pretty simple:
Work at a standing desk
Take breaks every 30 minutes after sitting and walk around
Walk around while on Zoom/conference calls
According to ​Better Health Channel, serious risk of cancers, diabetes, heart disease, varicose veins, deep vein thromboses, and postural problems can be avoided with these simple solutions (Department of Health & Human Services).
​​
