Physiotherapist
It’s another day at the office! You drive to work, you sit at your desk, 8 hours go by, you drive home, or shall I say get stuck in traffic? Looking out from our Nexus Massage & Rehab‘s window at Yonge and Eglinton, there is traffic queued as far as the eye can see. By the time you get home, you’re exhausted, so dinner is left-over take out. Time to relax! You get comfy on the sofa to watch some good ol’ Netflix. Don’t forget to throw a cold beer in the mix. .. And repeat. Whilst it appears to be harmless, the deleterious effects of sitting and inactivity silently adds up. This unsettling trend is gaining steam with people spending more than 9 hours a day sitting (Stats Canada). The workplace has come under scrutiny where most of day is spent sitting. Occupations such as lawyers, accountants, IT workers, drivers, sales workers, engineers (Bureau of Labor and Stats, 2017) and university workers who spend over 75% of their day sitting (Fountaine et al.,2014)! The modern city lifestyle fosters sitting – school, university, the trusty drive through Tim Horton’s, drive through fast food and goodness me, drive through banks?! I can’t help but be puzzled about the long waiting queues for drive through services when the actual shop is empty. With advancements in modern technology and healthcare, Canadians are living longer, but are we living well? The numbers aren’t saying so. Chronic diseases are on the rise and mortality rates due to them are rising as well (CCDI, 2018). Focusing on physical activity, only one out of five Canadians get the recommended amount of physical activity as set out by Canadian Physical Activity (Stats Can). Recent research shows 82.5% of adults and 62.4% of children are physically inactive (CCDI, 2018). Quite frankly, these numbers are scary. As we spend more time sitting, the effects of inactivity and sedentary lifestyle are adding up. Sedentary lifestyles are associated with poor health and a multitude of diseases including but not limited to:
- Overweight and obesity
- Type II Diabetes
- Pre-mature mortality
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Musculoskeletal Pain
- Cancer
- Stroke
(Katzmarzyk et al., 2009 and Dunstan et al., 2012) Whilst we understand that certain diseases are very much multi-dimensional, we can’t deny the harsh reality of the consequences of an inactive lifestyle. Wait, there is hope! Humans are meant to move! Physical activity has been shown to lower the risk for many chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, depression, stress and anxiety (Katzmarzyk et al., 2009). It is even known to reduce the risk of certain conditions by 50% (Warburton et al., 2010)! It doesn’t mean that you need to drop everything and quit your job. Even if you have a desk-based job, those who are physically active either at work or outside work, have lower risks for metabolic disorders (i.e. diabetes) than their non-active co-worker (Brown et al., 2017). Here are some suggestions if you want to inject some physical activity in your life:
- Take regular breaks away from your desk
- Go for a short walk at lunch or after work when you come home around the neighbourhood
- Take the stairs at work
- Stand up and stretch after sending that stressful email
- Turn up some music and dance in your bedroom!
- Try the dance class or local recreational activity you always wanted to join
- Use a stand-sit desk if you have one!
- Wii Fit (is that still a thing?)
The list continues. It’s about finding something you can do and enjoy and make it a habit.
In summary:
Sit Less. Move More.
Did you know? The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that to achieve health benefits, adults 18 and over should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week, made up of time periods lasting at least 10 minutes. Note: This is intended for educational purposes only. Do not treat this as medical advice. If you are having pain or health-related complaints, please seek out a licensed healthcare professional. If you have any queries please get in contact with the healthcare professionals at Nexus Massage and Rehab. Resources: Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines: http://www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP_PAGuidelines_adults_en.pdf References Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. (2016) Standing or walking versus sitting on the job. The Economics Daily, [online] Available at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2017/standing-or-walking-versus-sitting-on-the-job-in-2016.htm Browne R., Farias-Junior L., Freire Y, Schwade D., Macedo G., Montengero VB., Lopes TJA., Cantas F., & Costa E. (2017) Sedentary Occupation Workers who Meet The Physical Activity Recommendation Have Reduced Risk for Metabolic Syndrome: a cross sectional study. Journal Occupation Environmental Medicine. 59(11), 1029-1033. CCDI Steering Committee. (2018). How Healthy Are Canadians? A brief Update. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada; Research, Policy and Practice [https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/reports-publications/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice/vol-38-no-10-2018/at-a-glance-healthy-canadians-update.html] 38(10), 385-390. Dunstan D., Howard B., Healy G. & Owen N. (2012) Too much sitting a health hazard. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. 97(3); 368-376. Fountaine C., Piacentini M., & Liguori G. (2014). Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Among University Employees. International Journal of Exercise Science. 7(4); 295-301. Katzmarzyk, P.T., Church, T.S., Craig, C.L., and Bouchard C. 2009. “Sitting Time and Mortality from All Causes, Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer.” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 41(5). Levine, J. (2015). Sick of Sitting. Diabetologia. 58(8): 1751-1758. Statistics Canada. “Directly measured physical activity of Canadian adults, 2012 to 2013.” Health Fact Sheet. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 82-625-X. [online]. Available at: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-625-x/2015001/article/14135-eng.htm Warburton, D., Charlesworth, S., Ivey, A., Nettlefold, L., and Bredin, S. 2010. “A systemic review of the evidence for Canada’s physical activity guidelines for adults.” International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 7.
