Sitting is the New Smoking

I've been intrigued by research showing how bad sitting is for us.  Exercise is good for us in many ways, but sitting all day can wipe out much of the good we do for ourselves with exercise.

As much or as little as we exercise on a regular basis, we all need to move as much as we can.  Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic labeled the modern problem of sitting too much "Sitting Disease".  In this USA Today story from 2012 he outlines the problems with sitting.  He advises getting up and standing or moving for 10 minutes every hour.  He gives suggestions such as pacing, walking and making a space chair-free during a phone call, for example, to encourage movement.

We have trained ourselves to think certain activities must be done sitting:  eating, working on the computer (yes, I am sitting while I am typing this!), talking on the phone.  But some days I do eat a meal standing up because I am also making breakfast, lunch or dinner while eating.  And it is really not bad!

There are many ideas out there for ways to move our bodies more.  I like this list of 22 ways to move more from a Readers' Digest story about adding movement to our everyday lives.  In addition to the usual suggestions of taking the stairs and parking at the far end of the parking lot, it includes opening windows, raking leaves by hand, and holding walking meetings as real ways to move more.

I have been remembering ways I moved earlier in my life.  Here are some things I did as a child that I don't anymore:

• walked to the mailbox to mail a letter
• walked or biked to the library
• walked to the corner grocery store
• rode my bike to school often
• opened the heavy garage door
• got up from the couch to change the channel
• walked to the phone to answer it
• used a manual can opener (I still do this)
• rode my bike to the beach in the summer
• used a clothesline in the summer or when the dryer wasn't working
• rolled up and down the car windows
• shoveled snow (I still do this)

I've been trying to do more of what I call "real movement".  I go to the gym to do strength training and run on the treadmill. However, in my mind there is a distinction between that created movement and movement that fills a more basic need.  

I recently rode my bike to class at the local community college campus after getting annoyed with how long it took to get out of the parking garage.  The bike ride served the real purpose of transportation, it kept me from sitting in the car, and provided exercise as well.  Don't get me wrong, I still drive plenty!  Northern Virginia can be a scary place to ride a bike, even with sidewalks.  But I am trying to work in more "real" activities such as walking or biking when I might otherwise drive.

The other day my dryer stopped working.  I know this situation will be resolved soon, so it is an inconvenience more than anything.  But as I hung up some laundry to dry in various places around the house, I noticed how I was bending down and stretching up repeatedly.  It wasn't intense exercise, but it was definitely movement!

I'm not planning on replacing my clothes dryer with a permanent clothesline.  But I am conscientiously trying to move more and sit less.

So how do you find ways to more throughout your day?