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Earlier in this year a scientific study or two were released dealing with sitting and the health problems it can cause. Some points were interesting and one or two were outright controversial. However, one thing that these reports highlighted once again is that too much sitting is not good for you.

Doctors even have a name for the health problems caused by too much sitting. They call it sitting disease. As if there are not already enough diseases in the world.

As a result of these studies I decided it is time for a post on the matter.

Health problems associated with too much sitting

They include but are not limited to the following:

1. Weight gain and the associated health risks
2. Poor blood circulation
3. Varicose veins
4. Stiff shortened muscles
5. Cardiovascular disorders
6. Diabetes

Let’s look at the more common problems in more details.

Sitting and Weight gain.

Our bodies contain hormones that burn fat. Exercise triggers these fat burning hormones. Let’s see movement and activity (read exercise) as slave drivers that ensure the fat burning hormones do their job. Once you take the slave drivers away these hormones get lazy. Initially they will still do a bit of work but the longer the slave drivers are away the lazier these buggers get. The longer you sit the lazier these hormones get and the bigger your chances to get fat.

But that is not all.

When we are inactive our bodies use less energy and need less food. Yet, while we sit in front of the T.V. we are bombarded with ads showing us the one succulent meal after the other. So although we need less energy we often snack while we sit in front of the TV, causing weight gain.

Sittings and Cardiovascular disorders

A study by researchers from the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health indicate that men who sit too much have a much higher risk to die from cardiovascular disease even when they exercise regularly. Those who sat the most had a 64% higher chance to die from cardiovascular disease than those who sat half as much.
I wonder whether it is really the sitting or rather the inactivity. It would have been interesting to see the results if they replaced the sitting by say lying down.

Sitting, Diabetes and Fatty Acids in the bloodstream

In studies done on rats and mice unhealthy cellular changes of the muscles quickly occurred when the rats were not allowed to run around freely in their cages. There were more fatty acids in their blood and they showed signs of insulin resistance. So what does this have to do with sitting? The scientists believe this is caused by a lack of isometric muscle contraction. And the more you sit the less isometric muscle contraction occurs.

Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences puts the above as follows: “after four hours of sitting the body starts to send harmful signals,” and “genes regulating the amount of glucose and fat in the body start to shut down.”

Sitting and stiff shortened muscles.

When you sit for long periods of time some muscles, most notably your hip flexors and hamstrings get very tight. This tightness can cause severe discomfort and pain, including back pain. If you take into account that your hip flexors, runs from your upper leg to your hip and deep into your lower back, it makes perfect sense that it can be a cause of back pain.

Sitting and Varicose veins.

It is believed that damage to the valves inside our veins is one of the major causes of varicose veins. The job of these valves is to let blood flow in one direction only. So how does sitting contribute to varicose veins?

Movement of the legs helps to transport deoxygenated blood back from the lower parts of our body to the heart. When you sit there is very little movement of the legs so transporting of the deoxygenated blood becomes harder. This can cause blood to pool in the legs, increasing pressure on the valves inside the veins, eventually weakening and damaging them.

A lot of people with varicose veins report that lifting their legs provides big relief, so a foot rest may be the answer if you suffer from varicose veins.

Depressing? Yes it is, but don’t despair. In the next post we will look at things you can do to make your amount of sitting less detrimental to your health.

Today I want to talk about the place where you find the chair – the good old office. But is it so good. Taking the amount of time we spend in the office what have you done to make that part of your life as enjoyable as possible? Here are some ways that may help. There are of course many better ways, but I think all of these points will not decrease your productivity so they pass in my book.

1. Get a proper chair. There is enough information on this site to guide you, but for a start read this post about choosing a good ergonomic chair.
2. Give your office a facelift. A good paintjob can give your office a totally different look and feel. Lighter colors will make your office appear bigger, but if you are the arty type a bit of orange or green may just do the trick. Whatever color you choose make sure it is a one that you enjoy. A portrait against the wall can bring life to an otherwise dull office. So can a plant or two.
3. Get organized. You don’t have to become a neat freak, but you should be able to find whatever you are looking for in a very short period of time. Few things are as frustrating as looking for something when you have to get a job done fast.
4. Make sure the setup of your office is correct. In short your chair, table and the position of you documents should be setup in a position that allows you reach documents that you frequently use without having to leave your chair every time. You want to limit the amount of times you turn your neck and the office lighting should be right.
5. If you are short of cash or your boss doesn’t like spending money (few do) get yourself a back support cushion.  Some come with a built in massage to stimulate tired and aching muscles.
6. Don’t become a prisoner in your own office. Remember a prisoner doesn’t have the freedom to leave his jail cell whenever he wants. You do have freedom, so use it. A break after thirty minutes or so will rejuvenate your body and mind and I am sure you will find that your productivity increases dramatically when you return from your break. Frequently getting out of your chair is also one of the best things you can do when you sit the whole day.
7. Ensure your office gets sufficient fresh air, that the temperature is just right and that no direct light shines in your eyes.

Feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments section.

Want to damage your chair quickly, Amigo?

Easy. Just give it to a professional wrestler in a no rules match or… allow dirt to accumulate without regular cleaning.

But don’t worry. It is just as easy to keep your chair in tip top condition. And you don’t have to brake your back doing it either. All that is needed is a few minutes here and there.

Here are five dead simple (but necessary) procedures you can do.

Vacuuming of textiles

Yes, your chair will accumulate dust quickly. If you don’t believe me slap the chair a few times on the back and notice the cloud of dust surrounding your chair. The dust that accumulates causes friction between your body and the textiles of the chair. It is this friction that causes damage to the chair.   A quick vacuum once a week or so will do in most cases, unless you are staying in a very dusty or dry area. Don’t forget to attach the upholstery attachment to the vacuum cleaner.

Just remember – vacuum cleaners like dust, chairs don’t.

Washing of the Base, Frame and Arm Pads

Warm water and a mild detergent will do the job in most cases. Use a soft cloth, soak the cloth in warm water and gently clean the chair. Then wipe the area you just cleaned with a dry cloth.
Just one word of warning.  Stay away for harsh detergents and solvents.

Prevention is better than cure

1. Be careful not to bump your chair’s arms against your table when sit very close to your desk. First price is to remove the arms before moving closer to the desk. If that is not possible or too much effort, at least lower the arms to a level that you are sure will clear the desk.
2. Ensure there is enough space behind the chair for you to recline or to push the chair back when you get up otherwise the backrest may hit the wall causing damage.
3. Be on the lookout for items in the vicinity of the chair’s base that can scratch it.

Cleaning of spills, spots and stains on fabric

This is in all likelihood the hardest of all cleaning jobs you will encounter. Like I said prevention is always better than cure, but accidents do happen every now and again. Many times it is not your own doing either. (Thanks Rover, but just to let you know this is my chair. No amount of marking will make it your chair.)

Anyway. I will sort out Rover later. Let’s continue.

If you spill something on the textiles of the chair, soak up the majority of the spill with a cloth, but do not dry it completely otherwise the spot may set.  The quicker you soak up the spill after the accident the easier it will be to clean. Next you want to use a cleaning agent to clean the remainder of the spill or stain. The type of agent will depend on the nature of the spill. You also want to choose the correct temperature water.

Here are some general rules.

1. If the stain is water based you want to use a water based cleaning agent. Warm soapy water will do in most cases.  However if the stain is tannin based, don’t use soap. See below.
2. If the stain is oil based you want to use a cleaning agent specifically for oil based stains.
3. Avoid soap when cleaning tannin based stains as it will be harder to remove.  Half a teaspoon of liquid detergent in a liter of water will do the job. Examples of the more frequent tannins you may encounter include coffee, tea soft drinks and jam.
4. Only use cold water when cleaning protein based stains. Hot water will set the stain permanently. Examples of protein based stains are milk, egg, urine and blood.

Once you have selected the correct cleaning agent, test a small portion on the fabric first to ensure no damage occurs. If that is the case, use a soft cloth and lightly apply the cleaning agent to the fabric.  Rather give the area a few light applications than one heavy one. Soak up any excess cleaning agent with a clean cloth and allow the area to dry. Once dry, give it a thorough vacuum.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions

Very few people know more about your chair than the manufacturer. Read the chair’s manual and do what they say. If you don’t have the manual handy, you can download a copy from most good manufacturer’s websites.

Getting yourself an Ergonomic chair is one of the best things you can do for your back, especially if you have to sit the better part of the day. In fact, I bought the Ergonomic Chair I am using in my office from a Chiropractor who manufacturers them.

But how much do you think an Ergonomic Chair will help if you have some underlying problem?

Will it make your back pain disappear? I don’t think so, despite what the most convincing Ergonomic Chair sales person in the world may tell you.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe in ergonomic chairs and the countless benefits they offer. But in some cases your chair or bad sitting posture is not the reason for your back pain.Sometimes there are other reasons.

This brings me to the point I want to discuss with you. I recently read a book called the 7 Day Back Pain Cure by Jesse Cannone. In the book the author explains in plain English the various possible causes of back pain.

One of the possible causes that immediately caught my attention was muscle imbalances.

Why? The funny thing is that it has nothing to do with back pain. Let’s rewind a few years. I used to do athletics at school and suffered from a niggling injury that would make its unwelcome appearance just as I was getting into top form. It was really frustrating to spend hours training and then to get blocked by the injury. Then one day, a top senior athlete visited our school and discussed with us the importance of weight training and muscles that are in balance.  After that visit I increased my weight training and also trained all the muscles in my legs. Before I would mostly train the front part of the legs as they were stronger and I guess easier to train.

What happened?  For a start my performance drastically improved. And yes, that was the end of the niggling injury. It never appeared again. Never. Since that day I do not underestimate the importance of muscles that are in balance.

Now let’s get back to the book.

I like it a lot. For a start, I received it for free. Actually not free, I had to pay the postage. But I can live with that.

Various possible causes of back pain are discussed. It includes the obvious causes like physical problems, but also the less obvious causes like the mind and even your diet. And most importantly, the book tells you what to do about it. There are pain relief plans for lower, upper and neck pain, herniated discs, sciatica, scoliosis, spinal stenosis and sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

Does it work? I cannot guarantee that it will work for you. But countless people have reported amazing results.

Go and visit their website and have a look for yourself. The book is on the house (theirs not mine) so you have nothing to lose (except your back pain). You can get the book here.