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.
They include but are not limited to the following:
Let’s look at the more common problems in more details.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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Johnnie, The Yuppie
Since Johnnie’s birth it was his father’s biggest wish that he would become a lawyer, but he refused. Johnnie considered it way too much work and likes to follow his own head anyway. Then one day something happened that changed Johnnie’s mind. His girlfriend left him for the rich kid with the Rolex watch who could afford to spoil her with expensive gifts and exotic chocolates. Since that day, Johnnie has an unparralled desire to succeed in life and will do whatever it takes to reach the top.
The primary reason why Johnnie’s bought himself an Embody ® chair is to boost his ego and to impress his friends. Health benefits and comfort counts for nothing. In fact, Johnnie likes to take photos and videos of his Embody ® chair and frequently email it to his friends. If you look long and hard enough on Youtube you may even find a video of Johnnie sitting on his Embody ® chair.
Cathy, the Back Pain Sufferer
Cathy suffers from back pain every single day of her life and it is having a drastic impact on her well being and mental state. Cathy did not always suffer from back pain. It only started after her motor vehicle accident. To make her life more bearable her doctor advised her to replace her normal office chair with an ergonomic one. Is Cathy ever glad she did! The back pain is not totally gone, but work is one place where Cathy frequently forgets she suffers from back pain. Cathy sits a lot as she is a data capturer and her boss was kind enough to buy her a Steelcase Think™ Chair.
Steve The Boss
Steve got himself a Steelcase Leap ® chair because he is a man of good taste and appreciates the finer things in life. He doesn’t really sit that much, but likes to sit in style when he does. And he deserves to. If it was not for his persistence and hard work when 99 % of others would have quit, his company would not be in existence today. His stingy accountant tried very hard to convince him to buy a cheaper chair, but Steve knows when to follow his own head. Steve even promised to buy his accountant and ergonomic chair in the new year.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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In some cases a footrest is absolutely essential. In other cases it is more for the individual who likes the finer (and more) comfortable things in life.
But let’s first look at who will benefit most from a footrest.
The answer is short people.
Most chairs are designed to fit 95% of the population. If you fall outside the 95% range you have the option to buy a chair for tiny people, but you can make other plans, like buying a footrest to make your sitting experience more comfortable.
Shorter people’s feet do not always touch the floor when they sit and as a result they tend to sit forward in the chair. The back is away from the backrest and the person does not get proper back support as intended by the manufacturer. By lifting the feet, the shorter person’s back can get in touch with the backrest and the lumbar support can do its job.
Another reason why a shorter person may want to consider a footrest is that pressure builds up at the bottom of the thighs when the feet do not touch the floor. By using a footrest the thighs carry less weight as the feet will carry some of the weight.
It is also not easy to set up your office ergonomically correct if you are on the short side. You may get your eye height right in relation to your computer screen, but your legs may then hang in the air and vice versa. A footrest will help a lot in such a case.
But we are not all short. What will the rest of us get out of it? Great question. Thanks for asking.
Let’s start with massage footrests. Now that is an idea I can get use to. While you work your feet receive a massage. This leads to increase blood circulation, which in turn can help to prevent blood clots and similar problems like varicose veins.
Rocking footrests also fall in the comfort category (in my humble opinion). While you sit your feet rock backwards and forwards as in a rocking chair. This increases blood circulation and give you leg muscles a little bit of exercise. Not a lot, just enough to get the blood flowing.
When you buy a footrest look for the following:
Hopefully you have a good chair that keep your …hmm… buttocks happy. Perhaps your feet need a bit of a break as well.
Just think about that question for a moment.
First, what does it say to a visitor?
Would you like a new visitor (it may be an important potential client) to walk into your reception area and see your receptionist sit in a chair that belongs in the chair graveyard? And would it create a good impression if that person has to sit on an uncomfortable chair while they wait for you?
I am sure I don’t have to answer those questions for you.
Even if the rest of your company is full of cheap, ugly and dirty looking chairs, make sure your reception area has good, comfortable chairs that create a good impression to visitors. It goes without saying that the next place that should have good chairs is where you meet people, whether it is your boardroom or your own office.
Second what does it say to the employee?
I know, I know, the employees should be glad they have chairs and they don’t have to sit on the floor.
But all jokes aside.
If an employee work in a friendly, enjoyable and comfortable environment their productivity increases and they are less likely to leave your employ.
A good ergonomic office chair is one piece of equipment that can (and will) contribute to the happiness and productivity of your employees. As people, we were simply not created to sit the whole day. It put pressure on our spines, affects our circulation and leads to muscle soreness.
This in turn can lead to back pain, a stiff neck and a sore butt. A headache is also not out of the question. And our natural reaction is to move away from pain. Right? So if your employees sit in discomfort, guess what. You guessed it. More walking around and staying away from work. Interesting to note is that back pain is one of the main contributors to work absenteeism.
As an employer an office chair will not make you money, but it can affect your bottom line indirectly by increasing the productivity and happiness of your employees. Your workers will also feel more appreciated if they sit in a decent looking and comfortable chair.
The good news is that you don’t have to buy your employees an Aeron; there are many other chairs on the market that will do a good job.