Beyond Basic Exercise Guidelines: Is Sitting Really the New Smoking?

The "Just Stand" movement has recently gained a foothold at CSB|SJU with the addition of sit-stand workstations in Clemens Library, Murray Hall, and several faculty and staff offices. Researchers have been studying "sitting disease," more formally termed sedentary physiology, for over a decade and have begun to conclude that simply meeting exercise guidelines is not enough to reduce risk for chronic diseases. An individual can be physically active and lead a sedentary lifestyle. The two are not mutually exclusive. The average American adult, even those who meet the general exercise guidelines, spends 55% of their waking hours sedentary. Sedentary behaviors are characterized by wakeful activities that require little physical movement, low energy expenditure, and are performed in a sitting or lying position. Sedentary time is closely related to adverse health risks even if individuals perform physical activity on a daily basis. So what exactly happens when we sit and how can moving more help us decrease our risk for chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes? During this presentation, I discuss why too much sitting can be detrimental to health, examine how sedentary time impacts our students, faculty, and staff, and share simple ways you can decrease your sedentary time both at work and at home.