27.01.2010 - Health

Sitting still can seriously damage your health!

Our everyday lives are dominated by sitting. We sit down at the breakfast table, we sit at our desk in the office, we sit in meetings and on planes, we sit in waiting rooms and in the car, and when we get home in the evening we sit down in front of the TV. At the same time we live in a highly mobile society and are constantly on the move, in virtual as well as in real space – but most of the time in a seated position. It does seem ironic that we are moving around the world so much, and yet our bodies suffer because of our lack of physical movement. The effects on our health are alarming: heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity all contribute to shortening life expectancy.

Of course, none of this is very new. People have known for a long time that a sedentary lifestyle is an unhealthy one. Or, as the saying goes: “use it or lose it”. But these days we have to see everything verified and validated by comprehensive research and scientific studies. In a recently published study by Dr David Dunstan from Melbourne, Australia, he and his team prove the link between lack of exercise, namely watching too much television, and cardiovascular disease. Scientists at the Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne tracked more than 8,800 Australians over a six-year period. The results show clearly that watching TV for more than four hours per day doubles the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. The problem, according to Dr Dunstan, is the sitting still for prolonged periods. “We don’t utilise our muscles and don’t burn up calories, thereby slowing down the body’s metabolism.” In fact, even regular exercise cannot sufficiently counteract the risks associated with general inactivity. The study revealed that research subjects who exercised regularly still had an increased risk of dying early if they spent the rest of the day slouching in front of the TV. Across all causes of death, the risk was one and a half times higher among those who watched excessive amounts of television compared with participants who watched less television.

The message from this study is clear: just keep moving! And this applies not only to watching television, but also to office work. The study recommends having centrally located wastebaskets and in-trays to force workers to get up from their desks and move around every so often. How realistic these ideas are remains to be seen. However, it does highlight the need to think about office design that encourages physical movement and activity, without adversely affecting efficiency. Unfortunately, it is now possible, in theory, to complete almost every task via the computer screen. Even state-of-the-art office chairs with optimised ergonomics and mobility are no substitute for the essential everyday movements such as walking, climbing stairs or other physical activity. To make matters worse, a sedentary lifestyle combined with other unhealthy habits can lead to a self-perpetuating vicious circle. Lack of exercise leads to weight gain. Being overweight leads to back pain, even in younger people. Doctors at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York have established that lower back pain is much more common in patients that are overweight than in those with normal weight. And, of course, finding the motivation to exercise and be physically active is likely to be even more difficult for someone who is overweight and suffers from back pain. In conclusion it remains to say that designers of offices need to think even harder about ways to encourage employees to move around the office more. Today’s office furniture offers a broad palette of flexible and adjustable workspaces, surfaces and sit-stand furniture elements that allow effortless switching of position. What is still needed here is some awareness raising among bosses and managers that healthier employees are also more productive employees. Working on this is in the interest of everyone concerned. W. O. Geberzahn More information: http://www.vbg.de/wbt/ruecken/html/start.html http://www.vbg.de/wbt/ruecken/html/start.html