There seems to have been an explosion of information in recent years that has demonised “sitting” as the root cause of all of our problems. Throughout 2019 alone I can recall reading articles that referenced that sitting all day was the equivalent of smoking 15-20 cigarettes per day, that sitting WILL kill you and that sitting was the silent evil behind all of our problems.
These articles often then went on to list pretty much every ailment under the sun and relate them back to sitting, some of these being:
- Neck pain
- Tension headaches
- Lethargy
- Back pain
- Shoulder pain
- Hip Pain
- Pressure point pain
- Referred pain
- Sciatica
- Knee pain
- Ankle pain
- Reduced flexibility/mobility
- Breathing issues
- Diabetes
- Weight gain
- ….The list goes on!
Now, whilst I SIT here and write this article, I might be tempted to panic about my own sitting habits and begin to worry about my own health having read these articles and having suffered neck pain a number of times….but actually, I’m really not worried at all!
The reason I am not worried at all is because all of those articles completely missed the point! Sitting is NOT our enemy. It should NOT be demonized and is NOT a silent evil. Sitting is a perfectly natural action and one that ourselves and our primitive ancestors have been performing since the dawn of our time!
So WHAT is the point then if these articles have missed it? And what, if not sitting, is contributing to all of these issues?
The answer is MOVEMENT, or more accurately, “MOVEMENT VARIABILITY”.
Sitting will NOT kill you…but a lack of movement WILL!
Let’s first start by clarifying right now, ANY sedentary lifestyle is not healthy. Too much sitting is unhealthy. But is it the sitting that is unhealthy or is it in fact the LACK of movement that is unhealthy? The answer is the latter and that is the point, all of these articles published are quick to point the finger and pin the blame on sitting but have in fact missed the whole point on movement. By doing so, they have presented a problem but have not identified an effective solution.
For example, by blaming sitting alone, one could quite easily come to the conclusion that by simply standing up every once in a while and stretching would be a great solution and anti-dote to the problem. Now in the short term, would this make you feel better? It might. In the short term at least! But would this be enough in the long run? Probably not. But why?
The answer to this is simple: Movement is exercise and exercise is good for you!
By simply standing up every once in while, you are not exercising or generating enough movement to reap the benefits or “off-set” the negative aspects of a sedentary lifestyle! Our bodies are amazing machines that are designed to and able to sit but they are designed to move and be on the go MORE!
Think back to our primitive ancestors: Hunter gatherers, nomads, wanderers – whatever you want to call them, they were perpetual movers! On the go all the time, whether out hunting, fishing, collecting berries, defending their patch or exploring. They moved, they built, they discovered. Yes they sat often to rest and recover but they balanced it all out with movement and variety in movement.
Now also think back to the generation of our grandparents, they did not grow up with technology that enabled them to sit for hours on end, their jobs were active, their lifestyles were active, they had to walk everywhere, get up to answer the phone or change the television. Often they even had to go outside to find their toilet! As a result, their days were filled with MOVEMENT! Can you spot the pattern here!? Both our grandparents, and our primitive ancestors broke up their sitting with regular movement, modern society DOES NOT.
Now here’s the low down for you: Your body adapts and gets better at what you do!
Want to know how humans have survived and evolved to be the dominant species on planet earth? The answer is simple:
Stress = Adaption = Survival.
Our brain and bodies are remarkable in that if we impose a stress on our body, it adapts to become better at handling that stress. This adaption ensures that we are better equipped to deal with that same stress in case we have to face it again! In modern society this is why so many people lift weights, because our body adapts to them and gives us stronger, bigger bodies!
To learn more about what stress REALLY is and how it affects us, click here
Unfortunately, the same thing happens when we sit too long and do not MOVE! If we sit for too long without movement, our bodies literally adapt to become BETTER at sitting! These changes include losing mobility at the spine, hips and ankles! Our core, hamstrings and gluteal (bum) muscles literally switch off as they are no longer needed because the chair does their job for them! The result, we become better sitters but worse at moving!
Now before you become horrified and start to panic, just remember, our bodies are excellent adaptors! Therefore this whole process is reversible! Just as your body can a great sitter, it can easily go back to being a healthy, great mover! All you have to do is move more, and vary your movement!
ENTER MOVEMENT VARIABILITY
The previous statement hits the nail on the head as to exactly what movement variability is. It is simply variety of movement. Our bodies are designed to move….in all different directions and positions. Think about our progress as babies, we start off on our back, we then roll over onto our fronts, go onto all fours, crawl, walk, squat, push, pull, hinge at the hips etc. We then develop the ability to run, climb, lift things, carry things. Think about how good all of that is for us and WHY we even go through that entire process in the first place!
BECAUSE WE ARE MEANT TO DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES!
THIS IS MOVEMENT VARIABILITY!
If we stop moving, our bodies adapt to not move. Put simply, if we don’t use it, we lose it! This is what kills our health and energy and brings about all of the negative ailments in our lives. It is the lack of movement that leads to loss of movement. Sitting is a perfectly natural part of our lives, just like moving. The problem occurs when the balance between the two is upset! The problem is, in modern society, we have lost the need or the drive to move!
The average person spends upto (and sometimes over) 13 hours of their waking day NOT MOVING!
Now this is a frightening statistic! This is at the very heart of the problem facing our society and the NHS. This is a ticking time bomb for the health of our nation! So let’s break this down further!
- Imagine that an individual spend OVER 13 hours of their waking day sitting (It happens!)
- The average person spends between 6-8 hours per night sleeping
- There are 24 hours in a day
- So at best – 13 + 6 = 19
- 24 – 19 = 5!! – The average person at best is only upright/moving for 5 hours per day!!?
- Moving only 5 hours per day WILL cause problems!
Think about it this way:
- We sleep
- We wake
- We drive to work
- We sit at work
- We drive home
- We sit to eat
- We watch TV
- We go to bed
- We repeat
Where is the movement throughout all of this!? Standing in the shower? Standing at the kettle at work?? Not nearly enough is it!
So what’s the answer? What’s the solution to all of this? If sitting isn’t the devil but a lack of movement is, how can we effectively build more movement into our lives!?
Sadly, our obsession with sitting being the devil has led to honourable but ultimately ineffective strategies aimed at improving our health at work:
The first strategy that comes to mind is the adaptive standing desks. Now whilst I am actually a pro-standing desk guy, I think the benefits of these desks has been greatly exaggerated! Yes they get us upright and in doing so, create a little bit of movement variability. Yes they challenge our core, hamstring and bum muscles a little bit more than sitting but do they physically get us MOVING in a way that improves our health? Sadly NOT.
So what do we recommend!?
OUR TOP STRATEGIES!
Move Often
Just as we have discussed, sitting is not the enemy. Inactivity is. Moving often is the key to winning your battle with pain, lethargy, weight loss and generally feeling better
“Walk & Talk”
When taking your calls, get upright and move around your desk. If you can, use a headset or a mobile phone so you can get a normal walking pattern going. Do you really need to email someone that are only 20 feet away?? Get up and go talk to them!
Get your lunch time walk on!
Everybody feels better after a good walk! Walking helps to boost your Aerobic System (see below), releases feel good hormones and chemicals which boost your mood and energy levels. Walking also helps with burning calories and helps to get rid of those nasty products that accumulate with stress. Want some alone time? A good walk can help with this! Need a good chat, take a friend or a group with you for that extra social factor! Whichever you choose, we guarantee you’ll feel better!
Ps – If you’re a busy person, schedule a walking meeting with your colleagues!
Use technology!
We live in a world of tech! FitBit, Apple, Samsung, Polar and Garmin are some of the top brands out there that offer a wide variety of tech from the simple, cheap and cheerful to the expensive and mind blowing! Whichever one you choose, they often come with heart rate technology, activity and sleep tracking, its all available to you! Better yet, they mostly come with alert options that can sense inactivity and buzz you, reminding you to get up and move!
Want to build on this? Encourage others to wear similar tech and start a 10,000 step club!
- Distance & Height are your friends! This is a simple concept, if you want to move more, create more distance or height between you and your work. Simply walk or cycle to work or just park your car further away from the office! Alternatively, use the stairs or get out of the lift a floor or two early to start with and progress from there!
- Small steps add up! Little things like drinking more water can profoundly improve your energy levels as well as get you up and going to the toilet more! Additionally, using that printer that’s further away and the toilet on the next floor will be invaluable in the long run!
Remember, small steps lead to big changes. Big changes lead to more confidence. Confidence will get you joining in with more. This is the way to major health change!
Develop your Aerobic System
We need oxygen to survive. Your aerobic system is essentially your ability to use oxygen for sustained energy. Individuals with better developed aerobic systems are better able to combat stress and disease. Studies have also shown that individuals with high functioning aerobic systems live on average, 7 years longer! Better yet, individuals who are able to utilize oxygen better have been shown to have higher productivity, IQ’s and overall simply perform better.
Ultimately, a well-developed Aerobic System makes you resilient to stress and disease as well as improving your ability to concentrate and perform better.
Click here for our video series to learn more and how to improve your aerobic system….
Part 1 – The Forgotten Aerobic System
Part 2 – The Forgotten Aerobic System – Part 2
Part 4 – Your Aerobic Window (How to Beat Fatigue!)
Part 5A – Cardiac Output Training
Part 5B – Cardiac Output Training in Action!
Target the key muscle groups!
Your hamstrings, abs and core are vital for “anti gravity” muscles. They are also essential in the role of breathing and can be pivotal in combatting neck, shoulder, lower back and hip pain (and whole tonne more!). Inactivity that comes with sitting is a nightmare for these muscle groups as it simply doesn’t challenge them. This ultimately leads them to become weaker.
There is only one way to build healthy, resilient “anti gravity” muscles, and that is to challenge them with appropriate exercises and techniques. Check out our top 5 exercises that you can do anywhere to target these muscle groups
TIER 1’s TOP 5 :
How to Perform The Front Plank
Target Position & Areas that “Adapt” to Sitting.
As previously mentioned, by sitting too often your body Adapts to make you a better Sitter. Therefore you need to focus on the areas that inactivity affects.
These include your core, hamstrings and glutes but we also need to consider the position of your pelvis, spine and breathing.
Sitting changes your position, inactivity weakens you. Thankfully all of this is reversible in time. You need to have variability and the option to be able to change position. Lost options need to be restored!
Check out some fantastic exercises for you to complete to help give you back your movement options!
As a rule of thumb, simply perform 5 of each!
Heels Elevated Counter Balance Squat with Reach
Habit Forming – Structure: Movement, Nutrition & Sleep into your day.
Structure is the key to your success! Whether it be in work, life or exercise, without some sort of structure you will be far more likely to fail. This is why we feel it’s important to have times planned out in your diary for everything. There is nothing more satisfying than achieving everything you have set out in a day, and even better when that includes setting time aside to make you better and healthier. This also helps to keep you accountable and keeps you on track to achieve your goals.
Cementing good habits can have amazing results. When used in the right way, good habits generate consistency. Consistency is the ONLY way to real success.
The big three mentioned above are Movement, Nutrition and Sleeping, as these are the foundation of everything. Without them, our health will ultimately decline. It’s amazing how many people still fail to place the premium on these crucial areas. You’ll be amazed how much better you will feel when these 3 things are structured into your day. Just imagine being able to move freely, eat well and achieving a solid, restful sleep every night!
The one key point to habit adherence and change is to prioritise just ONE habit every two weeks. Research has shown that if you stick to changing just one habit every day for two entire weeks, you have an 85% chance of success. If you try to change 2 habits at the same time, this chance of success drops to around 35%. If you attempt to change 3 habits, that chance of success falls to nearly ZERO%.
It is so important to target just one habit at a time!
Check out our Tier 1 Habit Accountability Tracker in order to prioritise and plan for change!
DOWNLOAD OUR FREE EASY TO USE HABIT TRACKER CLICK HERE
SO THERE YOU HAVE IT!
Sitting isn’t your enemy, a lack of movement which leads to a lack of ability to move well is! Modern lifestyles are including more and more time spent sitting. Before you despair however, it’s important to realise that this can all be combatted by adopting strategies like the ones mentioned above. The key is to build good habits and perform the right exercises on a regular basis! It’s all about balance, if you’ve spent a long time sitting, dedicate a little more time with movement!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this article! If you’d like to know more, have any questions or are interested in any of our services, please just drop me a line on in one of the following ways!
Stu Turner
stuart@t1trainingandrehab.co.uk
Tier 1 Training and Rehabilitation Systems 
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