Is sitting down is the new smoking?

indioblack

Are Am Eye wrote: »

I like the idea of an academic sitting there typing up a paper on this subject.
Their flat mate beside them deep in groundbreaking work on Irony.

An interesting story slightly related to the thread.
In a factory I worked in some ten years ago there was a job that required the operator, [me], to sit down part of the time during the production process.
It was a practical necessity determined by the machinery being used - it was the most efficient way to complete the task during the production cycle.
I commenced my shift on this machine and asked my team leader why there was no seat for the part of the process that required it. He told me that the plant manager had ordered that any chairs in the production area were to be consigned to the rubbish skip.
I asked my team leader if he knew how many chairs the manager had in his office.
He replied that he didn't know - I told him I'd been to the manager's office and I did know. I also told him that I was older than the manager.
Warming to my theme, I told him that in my job I could talk standing up, read standing, write, run statistical process charts, process data sheets, computer keyboards - all whilst standing.
I concluded by stating that most of the tasks done in an office could be accomplished while standing and that the main reason people sat down in offices was status.
I then went to the skip, returned the chair to it's production point - and there it has remained.
"Them and Us". It's alive and, sadly, well.

Chancer3001

Akrasia wrote: »

ok, but don't male lions sleep like, 20 hours a day?

Yeah...

And pigeons eat directly off the ground.

And dogs eat their own vomit sometimes.

And kangaroos have a pouch for their babies.

And cows eat grass

Hang on Now

noonan84 wrote: »

Sitting down in a relaxed fashion also leads to bad posture-I know I've certainly got better posture when standing. .My physio gave me some good exercises for helping the posture-would recommend them highly!

Thankfully one can possibly avoid while seated. I'm not worried about It. I'm VERY mindful of my neck and shoulders while sitting.

Are Am Eye

Chancer3001 wrote: »

Yeah...

And pigeons eat directly off the ground.

And dogs eat their own vomit sometimes.

And kangaroos have a pouch for their babies.

And cows eat grass

The point you missed was that another mammal spends most of every day of it's life in a prone and stationary position. And yet suffers no harm. What is different in our physiology that sitting for a while is of detrimental harm.

I do think we should exercise daily as humans evolved to move every day and our cardio vascular system and muscles are designed to do exactly that. I don't see how sitting still, as well, for a few hours daily is particularly harmful.

Hang on Now

indioblack wrote: »

An interesting story slightly related to the thread.
In a factory I worked in some ten years ago there was a job that required the operator, [me], to sit down part of the time during the production process.
It was a practical necessity determined by the machinery being used - it was the most efficient way to complete the task during the production cycle.
I commenced my shift on this machine and asked my team leader why there was no seat for the part of the process that required it. He told me that the plant manager had ordered that any chairs in the production area were to be consigned to the rubbish skip.
I asked my team leader if he knew how many chairs the manager had in his office.
He replied that he didn't know - I told him I'd been to the manager's office and I did know. I also told him that I was older than the manager.
Warming to my theme, I told him that in my job I could talk standing up, read standing, write, run statistical process charts, process data sheets, computer keyboards - all whilst standing.
I concluded by stating that most of the tasks done in an office could be accomplished while standing and that the main reason people sat down in offices was status.
I then went to the skip, returned the chair to it's production point - and there it has remained.

Did you just seem to contradict yourself!

indioblack

Hang on Now wrote: »

Did you just seem to contradict yourself!

Just a little bit.
Rant over - I feel better now.

Old Perry

Chancer3001 wrote: »

Doing a masters in this area at the moment.

Sitting really is very very bad for you.

It's not sitting per se, it's the inactivity.

Even if you run for an hour or work hard at the gym for an hour every day...the sitting will undo most of the beneficial effects that the exercise has.

Very interesting.

Luckily to counteract it, getting up out of the chair for a minute or so every 45mins or so will counteract a lot of the negative effects

So you're a saying if I'm forced to sit down for long periods due to work etc. I should be at very least gettin up for a smoke every 45 mins and then everything will be A-okay. Sound thanks.

21Savage

I've read standing is no better. Your best best is to keep a good posture, get up every now and then and stretch and exercise once home.

Hang on Now

21Savage wrote: »

I've read standing is no better. Your best best is to keep a good posture, get up every now and then and stretch and exercise once home.

So a standing desk is no good either? Can I get a walking desk, where I do my work on a slow thread mill? or maybe a kind of hamster wheel thing!?!

Anyway, your info doesn't seem very reliable. The research that one of the other posters directed me to seems to suggest otherwise.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24297826

Chancer3001

Are Am Eye wrote: »

The point you missed was that another mammal spends most of every day of it's life in a prone and stationary position. And yet suffers no harm. What is different in our physiology that sitting for a while is of detrimental harm.

I do think we should exercise daily as humans evolved to move every day and our cardio vascular system and muscles are designed to do exactly that. I don't see how sitting still, as well, for a few hours daily is particularly harmful.

Haha do you really think all mammals are the same?

Hell, a bat sleeps upside down, couldn't hurt to do that?

Hilarious

SuperS54

Hang on Now wrote: »

However when I'm seated, usually after about an hour, I begin to feel a very uncomfortable in my back side. A mere 2-3 minutes standing up makes it go away. But then when I sit down again, it occurs a bit sooner the next time... maybe 40 mins... depends on how long the break was.

Have you tried Preparation H? Or perhaps one of those roundy pillows will a hole for your tormented hole?

Hang on Now

SuperS54 wrote: »

Have you tried Preparation H? Or perhaps one of those roundy pillows with a hole for your tormented hole?

That wouldn't make any difference, and that wouldn't be much of a solution anyway.

the beer revolu

Akrasia wrote: »

ok, but don't male lions sleep like, 20 hours a day?

Eh, not in a chair, though.

I have issues with my neck and have serious problems sitting.
I drive an hour to work and an hour home and that is about my limit for sitting. After that, I sit to eat my dinner but that's mostly it. How, I'd dearly love to be able to flop in an armchair in front of the tv for the evening. How I'd love to be able to sit around a table for hours after a meal.But, unfortunately, these are activities that give me a lot of stiffness and discomfort.

Thankfully, I'm good standing, walking and lying down.
I couldn't possibly do a job that required me to sit all day.

Chancer3001

Just the act of standing instead of sitting for 2 hours a day will lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

Will lower for resting heart rate too.

It's an accumulation of the little things that help win most wars

Hang on Now

Chancer3001 wrote: »

Exercise science in Dublin.

It's down to mets generated. Google some studies done by mike Morris on call centre workers. That's a good place to start.

Forcing the people to work standing up had significant implications for improving their health. Standing desks were used.

Zero increase in exercise. Good increase in health benefits.

What about when Elton John sits down for 2.5 hours to do a concert. You wouldn't call that kind of sitting down 'inactivity'? It has to be different!? I think we should do some research with Elton John, where by we compare his carbs burns sitting down (not playing) to sitting down while performing!

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Are Am Eye

Chancer3001 wrote: »

Haha do you really think all mammals are the same?

Hell, a bat sleeps upside down, couldn't hurt to do that?

Hilarious

We can identify the physiological differences in a bat which make it possible and actually beneficial for it to do this as opposed to a human.

You can now list off the physical characteristics in a lion which mean it can stay still a long time with no harm, these physical characteristics which are not present in a human?

Hang on Now

I think at lot of it has to do with what feels right! Sitting for long periods doesn't feel quite right.

Take me for example. When I stand up at my desk, in a matter of seconds, I tilt the screen, tilt the keypad by putting something under it, I spread my legs to get a wee bit lower, and it's just the same as sitting. The only thing about this, is the mouse. Think about it - you can't tilt the surface on which the mouse lies, and it's generally a bit low.

So assuming standing was as convenient as sitting, I'm guessing I'd spend about 50% of the time doing each, and probably alternating every 20 minutes. So what I'm saying is that, if that feel right for me, then that would be fine.

Tzardine

Gonna just drop this here.

TrustedApple

Myself I get up every hour form my desk get a drink or go to the loo.

Otherwise if I am busy it could be ages before I get up.

I am in luck now that I will be based over 2 office now so I can get up and have a 5 min walk between them when I need to head over to the other office.

But I do see some people who do not move for 4 or 5 hours from there desks!!!

AllForIt

Is sitting down bad for your lungs?

TrustedApple

One thing that drives me nuts is smokers in work that take way more brecks then none smokers !!!.

Hang on Now

AllForIt wrote: »

Is sitting down bad for your lungs?

You're a little late... the jokes stopped after the first page!

Chancer3001

Are Am Eye wrote: »

We can identify the physiological differences in a bat which make it possible and actually beneficial for it to do this as opposed to a human.

You can now list off the physical characteristics in a lion which mean it can stay still a long time with no harm, these physical characteristics which are not present in a human?

Are you zlatan ibrahimovic ?

Do you identify as a lion ?

Hang on Now

I find the sciatica is the biggest problem for long periods sitting down.

21Savage

In 2017 can we list the things terrible for you and sure fire ways of dying eventually?

Sitting
Tanning
Not getting enough sun

Hang on Now

21Savage wrote: »

Not getting enough sun

We're told that the sun is good, and then we're told it's bad. It confuses most.

21Savage

Hang on Now wrote: »

We're told that the sun is good, and then we're told it's bad. It confuses most.

It's nonsense. I'm convinced that it's fine for us tbh. Maybe avoid between 12 and 2 because that seems a natural enough thing to do but a bit of sun is fine.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Hang on Now wrote: »

We're told that the sun is good, and then we're told it's bad. It confuses most.

Everything in moderation is generally a good rule to live by.

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.