Get Out of That Chair Now for Better Health! How to Stop Sitting So Much

Inside: Get out of that chair and off that couch. Sitting too much is bad for your health. Here’s how to stop sitting so much.

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I do not want higher blood sugar levels, an increased risk of heart disease, or any preventable risk factor for dementia.

That’s why I’m walking 1.5 miles per hour while typing this.

Fortunately, you don’t have to walk while you work to lower your risk of oodles of health problems. You have plenty of ways to be active throughout your day.

Research finds that too much sitting – even if you exercise daily – is bad for your health.

Is this missing from your exercise routine?

Exercise is not optional.

Being physically active is no less discretionary than eating a wholesome diet. You probably think about aerobic exercise (aka cardio) like fast walking, biking, and swimming. And you probably recognize the importance of strength training exercises such as lifting weights and doing pushups. But many people forget about a third aspect of physical activity – decreasing sedentary time.

All that means is to stop sitting so much. Studies linking sedentary behavior to poor health and early death are piling up. And this is true even for people who exercise regularly. Sadly, 30 to 60 minutes of daily exercise just isn’t enough to wipe out the hazards of too much sitting.

The activities of your workday and leisure time matter a lot!

Why Does Too Much Sitting Harm Your Health?

Research supported by the American Cancer Society finds that too much sitting is tied to early death in 14 diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Even exercising 30 - 60 minutes a day doesn't erase the health hazards of too much sitting.Click To Tweet

Weight gain might be a factor, but that’s not all of it. In one study, when healthy volunteers cut their daily steps by more than half for a mere 3 days, their blood sugar levels spiked higher after eating. Some scientists speculate that sitting for too long suppresses some muscle enzymes, which may affect cholesterol and triglyceride levels. And when we sit leisurely without contracting our muscles, less glucose shifts from the blood into the muscle cells.

Get Out of The Chair

Stop sitting so much!

If you have diabetes or prediabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends breaking up long periods of sitting with 2 – 3-minute breaks every half hour. If you have a sitting job, you’re going to have to put on your creativity hat to find a suitable routine. And then make it a habit.

{Here’s how to form a habit.}

What can you do in those 3 minutes? Pretty much anything: push-ups against the wall, lunges, squats, walking, or any activity that suits you. I do love my treadmill desk, and that’s certainly one way to stop sitting so much. Check out my video, Walking While Working. If you have the space for a treadmill desk, do consider it.

Fortunately, you have much less obtrusive and expensive ways to stop sitting so much.

How to Stop Sitting So Much At Work

• Stand up each time you sip water, coffee, or tea
• Stand up each time the phone rings
• Walk to your co-workers’ desks instead of calling or emailing them
• Set a timer to remind yourself at regular intervals to do toe raises, squats, and push-ups against the wall
• Use the bathroom that’s farthest from you.

How to Stop Sitting So Much At Home

• Relax with active activities instead of sedentary activities (Grab a cup of coffee and walk with a friend instead of lounging on the couch.)
• Walk, play active video games, play catch with the kids
• Walk, stretch, squat, or lunge during TV commercials
• Stand during TV credits
• Walk for three minutes after reading one chapter
• Let your dog in and out instead of asking a family member to do it
• Walk leisurely on a treadmill while reading or watching TV

What else can you do at work and home to stop sitting so much?

Are You an Active Couch Potato?

In other words, are you sedentary most of the day other than during your formal exercise period? While you may know how many minutes a day you jog or lift weights, most of us can’t quantify our sedentary time. We might be inactive outside of formal exercise time and not even realize it.

It’s easy to confuse being busy with being physically active.

Here is a portion of the Activity/Inactivity Tracker I provide in Prediabetes: A Complete Guide, Second Edition. Spend a few days tracking your active and inactive blocks of time, so you can find periods screaming out for you to stand, walk, stretch, repeat.

When do you typically sit for more than 30 minutes at a stretch?

After you’ve identified prolonged periods of sedentary time, brainstorm ideas to move more.

Make not sitting so much a habit

Just like we have cues to sit – think comfy chairs and couches – we can create our own cues to be less sedentary. Dust off your stationary bike or treadmill and move it to a room you spend lots of time in. At home, lace up your sneakers to make movement more comfortable. At work, schedule a walking meeting instead of a sitting meeting. If you want to add a few minutes of exercise into your day, simply spreading out a yoga mat or moving hand weights onto the floor earlier in the day might do the trick.

Simple changes in health habits can bring you life-changing rewards!

Get out of the chair and off of the couch! Stand, walk, stretch. Repeat.