THE SITTING GAME
By Kate O’Farrell, M.S., ACSM-CEP, PEAK Health and Fitness

There is a lot of buzz in the media these days about a little something being called the “sitting epidemic,” claiming that sitting is the new smoking. The good news is, along with the lay media buzz, there is also substantial research being done on the same topic.

Let’s start with an introduction: Dr. James Levine is the director of the Obesity Solutions at Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University, a leading expert on the treadmill desk and has been one of the main drivers of research for all of the new technology available to monitor movement (specifically steps) during the day. Levine and his team of researchers have provided a lot of information to help people understand how sitting is really affecting health and wellness. Here are a few key points that may help you look at your sitting time differently:

1. Even with regular exercise, sitting (or a sedentary lifestyle) can still have a negative impact on our health and should be understood as a completely separate health risk.
2. It is recommended to break up sedentary time by sitting no longer than an hour without a standing break – even a quick stretch can be helpful.
3. Trying a standing desk, or even a treadmill desk, can significantly reduce the risks of sitting while increasing calories burned during your day. Talk about a win-win.

4. Don’t be afraid to start slowly, even small steps are going to make a big difference. There can be a lot of anxiety behind jumping all-in to such a big change. Levine recommends making the change slowly to help reduce anxiety and make it long lasting.

One great resource to find current research, up-to-date media coverage and a variety of tools to help change your work or home lifestyle is juststand.org. Their mission is to raise awareness for the dangers of sitting and provide you and your family with resources to help reach your health goals.

Are you in danger of sitting too much? It may be helpful to do a quick inventory of your day. Try this sitting calculator to see if you are at risk for “sitting disease.”

There are so many options out there to help you adjust your workstation to support the new anti-sitting movement – pun intended. Looking at your options may help you find something that works best for you. The trick, just as it is with all areas of health, is that you need to find something that fits you and your life. Of course, PEAK Health and Fitness can’t help but give you an enticing option. Lifespan Fitness is excited to offer you a sweet little deal to help purchase your own equipment for either your home or office. It may be worth checking out if you are in the market.

Here are the details:

COUPON CODE (case sensitive and requires underscore): UofU_wellness
REDEMPTION VALUE: This coupon code entitles any U staff, student or friend and family member to receive a 10 percent discount off of any Workplace Solution Product (treadmill desks and other activity stations), any fitness product or accessory found and purchased at lifespanfitness.com.

HOW TO ORDER:
Option 1: Order online at lifespanfitness.com and enter UofU_wellness during the checkout process.
Option 2: Order by phone at 801-973-9993 ext. 131 for Roger Stanco and mention the coupon code UofU_wellness.

Please note, we are not solely endorsing Lifespan Fitness, but wanted to share an exciting opportunity that you may be interested in. All equipment will be funded solely by the individual purchasing it.

Are you interested in standing up for your health? Join the revolution. PEAK Health and Fitness would love to hear your plans to make it happen. Send an email to wellness@utah.edu.

Stand up for your health today.

Additional Resources to fuel your stand against sitting:

If you want to hear more about the dangers of the chair or to get to know “Stand More-Sit Less” expert James Levine, check out this video.

If you want some literature, Levine has written a fantastic book as well titled “Get Up!”

Click here for another article discussing treadmill desks as a solution to our sitting epidemic, just in case you didn’t get enough.