The saying goes, "Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down." If you are someone who engages in prolonged sitting, you need to pay special attention to this post!
According to a 2020 study from Canada, prolonged sitting increases various physical and mental health risks, including poor cognitive function, depression, decreased physical function, disability, insufficient physical activity, and poorer physiological health (1). It also increases the risk of heart disease, cancer, and Type 2 diabetes (2). The study results found that compared to those who sit for less than 7 hours per day, people who sit for over 9 hours have a 22% increased risk of mortality (3).
However, please do not worry excessively. The study suggests the following effective strategies for reducing the harms of prolonged sitting:
1. Control Your Sitting Time
Starting today, pay attention to your daily sedentary time (at work, commuting, and leisure time), and limit your daily sitting time to no more than 9 hours. (If you sit for long hours at work, it is recommended that you choose more dynamic leisure activities after work).
2. Break Up Long Sitting Periods
Increase the number of times you stand up and move around in your daily life as much as possible (e.g., getting up in the office to retrieve copied documents, getting water, or standing up and moving during TV commercials at home, etc.). This can similarly reduce the health risks associated with prolonged sitting.
3. Choose the Right Chair:
Although you cannot avoid sitting, you can choose an ergonomic chair to ensure:
a. Lumbar Area: Gets sufficient support to maintain the spine's natural S-shape.
b. Elbows: Should be at approximately a 90-degree angle with the desk when sitting, preventing tension in the shoulders and neck.
c. Thighs: The seat depth/cushion length is appropriate, allowing your thighs to be parallel to the ground. This reduces the pressure of body weight on your lower limbs and minimizes the physical discomfort caused by prolonged sitting.
Let's start making a change today and implement the goal of "Never sit when you can stand or move" in our daily lives. Let's become healthier and happier together!
Data Reference：Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare
Reference Website：https://www.hpa.gov.tw/Pages/Detail.aspx?nodeid=127&pid=17761 |
