By now (unless your desk chair is under a rock somewhere), you’ve heard that sitting is bad for you. We’re not here to convince you of that.
But most people – even those of us already using standing desks – don’t have all the science and facts detailing the dangers of sitting in a convenient package.
So we thought, “why not put all the science and facts detailing the dangers of sitting in a convenient package?” I know, really had to rack our brains for that one.
First, the bullet points:
- Sitting increases all-cause mortality (death)
- Sitting may be as big a risk factor for heart disease as smoking
- Sitting causes muscular atrophy
- Sitting decreases bone density
- Sitting reduces circulation
- Sitting reduces metabolic flexibility (obesity researcher speak for “makes you fat”)
Second, the infographics:
[skip this section]
Click image to view full size. Image Credit.
Click image to view full-size. [Image Credit]
Click image to view full size. Image Credit.
Click image to view full size. Image Credit.
Click image to view full size. Image Credit.
[Update] Here’s a few other good links from StandDesk:
Why sitting is bad for you
There is a multitude of research available as to why sitting all day is terrible for your health. A selected collection of relevant research below.
- Infographic from Fast Company: Why sedentary lifestyles are slowly killing you.
- Washington post on the hazards of sitting
- Venture Beat: sitting all day is bad for your brain too.
- Huffington Post: sitting is the new smoking
- Popular science: 7 ways sitting will kill you.
- Sitting increases the risk of disability in seniors. The odds of being disabled increased 50% for each hour spent sitting.
- People who watch more than 4 hours of TV per day have a 50% higher chance of death of any kind.
- Sitting all day causes you to gain weight faster, lose bone density, and experience muscle atrophy.
- Sitting for more than 6 hours a day reduces your life expectancy by up to 7 years.
- Up to 90% more pressure is applied to your lower back when sitting
- Your body needs perpetual motion to function optimally.
- New York Times: Bad posture and lack of exercise can make you susceptible to dropsy and hemorrhoids.
- New York Times: Smoking one cigarette reduces life expectancy by 11 mins vs sitting one hour reduces it by 21.8 minutes.
Why Standing is Better
- Reducing inactivity by increasing the time spent walking/standing every day is more effective than one hour of physical exercise
- Standing desks can make you more productive
- Standing for 3 or 4 hours a day at work is the equivalent of running 10 marathons a year
- Standing desks can help you lose weight
Now here’s what to do:
Ok so sitting is bad. So I’ll just stand, right? Not so fast, buddy – although we like the enthusiasm. You’ve likely spent years sitting on that rear end of yours. Walking in to your office tomorrow and burning your chair is going to cause a few problems (beyond the nasty chemical smoke).
You need to make a smart, healthy transition to smart, healthy working. And that’s exactly why we put together the Quitting Sitting Transition Plan. So go read it right now, because you need to start standing smart.
Oh, and do your friends and family a favor by sharing this post on Facebook. They’ll thank you for it.
[…] statistics detailing the dangers of sitting abound. We’ve covered the facts before. So we know THAT sitting is bad for us, but exactly HOW is sitting […]
[…] their health and productivity, and we seriously respect that. But with all the hubbub surrounding the dangers of sitting, we find that many people are diving in without really knowing why (or how […]
[…] simplest step is to send this article to your boss. If the facts here, or at The Definitive Guide to the Dangers of Sitting don’t convince him/her, then maybe it’s time for you to work somewhere that gets […]
[…] already know that sitting is bad, why sitting is bad, and how to transition to standing the healthy […]
[…] may wreck your running form, hurt your metabolism, and increase all-cause mortality, but it isn’t all […]
[…] If you care about your health at all, I don’t need to tell you again why you need to at least TRY standing at work (1,2,3,4,5). […]