For over a year now, most of the world has spent day after day stuck at home, sitting before a computer, a TV set, or just plain sitting. Gyms, sports centers, dance schools were all closed. And in some countries there were curfews forbidding the movement of civilians during specific hours. In Greece, this curfew started when most people finished working, which made it impossible to go outside to walk or run or bike. Considering that most people don't live in huge houses (I know I don't), we couldn't walk indoors, neither. And since we don't all have personal gyms in our apartments, we ended up with little to no movement.
Looking back at 2020, I am terrified of how little I walked. I tried. God knows I tried. But it wasn't easy. And then came my spine issues. After having recovered (almost) from the paralyzing pain the sedentary lifestyle brings, I thought I would dedicate this post to everything I've learned from sitting still for about a year.
A sedentary lifestyle is a type of lifestyle involving little or no physical activity. Spending extended amounts of time with little to no energy expenditure and physical exercise can be termed as sedentary behavior. Sitting motionless in front of the computer all day with just our fingers and eyes moving says a lot about the type of lifestyle we are living.
Also, it comes as quite a shock how despite so many advancements, the work culture was healthier in the 70's than it is now. Sedentary behavior is most prevalent in corporate and knowledge jobs (i.e. offices, writing, academia) than in physically active jobs.
So which activities are sedentary? Pretty much all those that don't involve physical moderate-to-vigorous activity: driving or riding in a car or bus (if you're seated, that is), working on a computer, sitting in a meeting, watching TV, reading, writing.
Speaking from experience, I'm positive that people moved more before the pandemic, even if they had the same job positions as during the pandemic. The fact that you had to walk to and from your work to your parked car, was movement nonetheless. Meetings were usually held in a different office than where your desk was, while now all meetings were held exactly were you're sat. And since most of us were locked at home, bosses and managers had the expectation you worked more, since there was no place to go. Exploitation in the workplace while working from home is a totally different chapter, so I'll leave that to a future post perhaps.
When I went to Uni, I surpass 7,000 steps daily just by showing up. Then, suddenly, from one day to another, my steps dropped to a staggering 600, because, let's be honest, it only takes 3 steps to fetch water from the kitchen , as opposed to the 200 steps I take to get to the canteen.
I tried working out for 30 minutes daily, but that doesn't counteract a full day of sitting. So in late October, I experienced lower back pain, which soon spread up my spine, and my neck started aching as well. The pain was paralyzing and I found myself unable to sit, stand, lay, or walk. My migraines got worse, too. So I reached a point where I decided that this life I'm living isn't worth it, if I'm not able to live it fully. Doctors said there might have been an underlying spine issue waiting to surface, which was exacerbated by all the sitting of 2020, but what I know is I wouldn't want to relive any of that pain. Since my physiotherapist made it clear that this might happen again if go on spending 13 hours a day before my computer, this is now my greatest fear. And I'm doing everything I can to avoid it and be healthy. It's kind of funny how long it took me to realize that the sedentary lifestyle is harmful.
The sedentary lifestyle is harmful. It affects various parts of our bodies in different ways: head, neck, shoulders, back, abdomen, hips, glutes, legs, knees, bones. It may lead to fatigue, memory loss, muscle and joint pain, headaches, decreased eyesight, susceptibility to infections and more. I've seen all of these lately in me or people I know. The long-term effects of sitting, however, are dangerous. From sleep problems, diabetes and obesity, to cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, mental health problems, cancer. This issue is not addressed enough.
In my previous job, I had co-workers who wouldn't get up or out of their desk space for any reason at all. They would send other people to buy them lunch, then eat at their desk. They would drag their chair to the printer and even refuse to use the bathroom for as long as they could hold it in. This sitting mentality might stem from a different mentality, the workaholic one, or the busy-over-productive one. I suspect that these people just want to be viewed on their chairs at all time. I can't imagine where that may lead if the head of the department doesn't issue mandatory walking breaks - or something like that (which, of course, won't ever happen).
So what can we do to combat this lifestyle and be healthier? The first thing, I think, is to track the time we spend sitting. If we know how long we're motionless, we will know how much of an issue our immobility is. Regular standing and walking breaks, every half an hour or so, would be ideal to fracture a long sitting pattern. We could also walk whenever we can, and take the stairs. Instead of taking the car to a place close by, walking or biking is a healthier alternative. If you can, you could even change your commute. Use public transportation, it's better for your health and the environment. Be active as much as you can throughout the day, exercise daily, and if it's possible, alternate between sitting and standing while working.
For your information, I took regular breaks writing this blog post. Stay healthy and move more. The human body was made for movement. Embrace it.
If you're still here, thanks for sticking till the end. Hope you have a great weekend. Cheers. 💝
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