Sedentary Lifestyle Modifiers

Mar 18, 2015
3 min read

So you want to lose weight, and most important you want to keep it off. You want to burn calories and you need to burn fat. You calculated your body mass index (BMI) and it is over 25 or even over 30. What if your lifestyle is a sedentary one? One of the causes of obesity is a sedentary lifestyle, too much time spent sitting at home, work or leisure. A sedentary lifestyle is also one reason why many people fail to achieve results from dieting. The couch potato lifestyle is a heath risk factor for many diseases and premature death. What if your 8 hour work-day involves sitting at a computer or desk, then you drive home for another hour.

What if you spend another 2 or more hours watching TV at home What if your leisure time is a meal at your favorite restaurant, taking in a movie or being at a ball game. How do you fit physical activity into this routine. At one research study in Atlanta USA, researchers found that spending six or more hours per day sitting was linked to higher risks for mortality The risk was the same regardless of the person’s level of activity. Even if you spend a lot of time at the gym, you are still at risk.

At another study in Australia, researchers monitored 8,800 adults for six years and found that watching TV for several hours per day was a health risk. They found that every hour spent watching TV increased the risk of dying by 11%, and that it made no difference whether the person was overweight or not. What are these sedentary lifestyle modifiers? They are things that one can do to reduce sitting time, thereby modifying a sedentary lifestyle. I call them 'sedentary lifestyle modifiers.' These are my favourite ones: Park and walk- Avoid parking close to your arrival point, pick a parking spot further away and walk. Walk short distances instead of driving, it is good for your carbon footprint too. Limit sitting time for leisure to 2 hours per day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible. When using public transportation, get off a stop or two before your arrival point and walk. Stand or walk at work- Instead of sitting at work, do some of your work while standing or walking, e.g. talking on the phone, sorting paper work and talking to others. Any work that you can do while standing or working will reduce your sedentary lifestyle. For computer users-Take a break from your computer every 1 ½-2 hours, stand, stretch and move your limbs, walk around the office for five minutes. At Home-Things that you would normally do sitting, do them either standing or walking. For example: talking on the phone, sending text messages, reading the newspaper or even watching TV. The idea is to use sitting time to be active whenever the opportunity presents, as too much sitting is bad for the health.

More Advanced Modifiers Use a standing desk instead of a regular desk, for working at home or office. Use a fitness desk that will marry your computer to your workout routine. There are some really cool ones available online. The Fits Desk is a new invention that will allow the person to use the computer and schedule physical activity at the same time. It reduces the amount of sitting time spent during computer work.

For those who commute long distances to work, set a schedule to walk for 15-20 minutes on arriving home.

The recommended physical activity for everyone is 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobics like brisk walking, 5 times per week.

These sedentary lifestyle modifiers are useful to anyone who wants to reduce sitting time to become more active. They are especially beneficial to those who live busy lives and can do with an extra hour or two for physical actvity,