Eye-opening stats about sitting
Summary:
The average American adult sits more than at any other time in history.
Sedentary jobs have increased 83% since 1950, according to the American Heart Association.
The average office worker spends up to 10 - 15 hours a day seated.
Long-term sedentary behavior increases your risk of health conditions like type 2 diabetes by 112% and heart disease by 147%.
How many hours do we sit in a day? 🕐
Really sit down and think about it (no pun intended), everything from:
commuting
traveling
eating meals
having coffee with a friend
entertaining
movies & tv
surfing online (do people still say that or am I dating myself?)
Even as a pilates instructor I still sit 6 - 10 hours everyday.
These blog posts aren’t going to write themselves… but that’s crazy to think about!
I might as well be chain smoking reds with those kinds of numbers.
Chronic sitting is here to stay 🤦♂️
We’ve all heard that sitting is the new smoking, that we’re all sitting too much (chronic sitting) but the data paints a really bum picture.
According to the American Heart Association, sedentary jobs have increased 83% since the 1950s.
Physically active jobs only make up about 20% of the workforce according to Johns Hopkins University.
A 2019 Forbes article states that the average office worker spends 15 hours a day seated (commuting/at desk/commuting).
According to Statista: in 2024 U.S. adults will spend an average of nearly three hours watching traditional TV each day (this doesn’t even include phones or tablets!).
The typical adult spends more than 10 hours each day with media, according to Nielsen.
Effects of chronic sitting 🪑
Sitting for long periods completely messes up our bodies in the long run.
Increase risk of type 2 diabetes by 112%
Increase risk of heart disease by 147%
Tight joints and shortened muscles causing muscle strain
Depression and anxiety
Outside of smoking and alcohol, who would’ve thought a chair would be in their company?
How can we reverse the effects of chronic sitting?
We need to be more aware of trying to get more movement into our daily routine.
Even the small stuff like:
stretching in between meetings or calls
taking the stairs
doing laundry
dishes, you name it
maybe 10 minutes of movement in the morning? (wink wink)
Every movement counts!
Even some movement is better than none. 🙌
If you’re having trouble fitting movement into your routine, read this article on habit stacking.
Parting thought ✅
While I would like to say
“all you need is our daily movement routine, with Move Every Day,”
it’s really just a piece of the pie.
The reality is that we need movement/stretching, along with strength training to offset the effects chronic sitting has on our health and bodies.
And before you start scrolling on social where there can be unrealistic body aspirations, I would encourage you to take a small step towards your health first.
Because just like this business I’m building, it’s the small day-to-day stuff where you see the most growth over time.
Fact checking for seated stats:
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