Cary Luitjens MPT, PT, LAT

It is said that sitting is the new smoking, but to be more specific, it is not the sitting position… but the act of being sedentary and sedentary behaviors that are unhealthy.

Many jobs have transitioned to work at home, recreational team sports have been canceled or postponed and many of us are spending more time looking at screens….computer, TV, tablet, cell phone, etc. These factors likely lead to more sedentary behaviors that are associated with increased health risks such as an elevation in blood pressure.  Sedentary behavior could be sitting in a perfect work station posture for 8 hours a day without moving at all.  Not only that, where our eyes go-like to a screen-our posture goes.

The 20-20-20 rule was designed by Californian optometrist Jeffrey Anshel. For every 20 minutes spent looking at a screen, a person should look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds and is recommended by the American Optometric Association and the American Academy of Ophthalmology as a way to reduce eye strain and fatigue.

How about the foggy feeling you get after looking at a screen for a prolonged time? Recent evidence suggests that sedentary behaviors may be negatively associated with aspects of brain function such as reasoning, problem-solving, and decision making.  Breaking up sitting with intermittent physical activity has beneficial impacts on multiple systems relevant to brain health such as blood pressure and vascular function.

It’s pretty hard to change your gaze to an object 20 feet away and not change your posture! Eye strain can lead to mental fatigue.  Mental fatigue can lead to Tech Neck and forward head posture. Advanced Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine have several great media posts about setting up a work station, and posture tips for use of desktop computers, laptops, and cell phones. Click here to watch our Ergonomic Feedback video!

Recent research articles on sedentary behavior and prolonged sitting support the fact that frequent (every 20-30 minutes) and short (2-3 minutes) interruptions involving light or moderate-intensity walking, standing, or simple resistance exercises can improve glucose metabolism and reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

But sit less and move more is pretty vague. Why not make it more fun!  Here are a couple of ways to liven it up.

“Roll with it” dice workout-needed: 2 dice, space to exercise, and light weights if desired.  You will complete 2 different exercises with each roll of the dice.

1)      15 crunches     1) 20 chest presses

2)      10 lunges each leg      2) 20 shoulder presses

3)      20 squats    3) 30-second plank

4) 30-second jump rope     4) 15 push ups-wall, desk or floor

5) 1-minute wall sit    5) 30-second air punches

6)      20 jumping jacks    6) 20 biceps curls

The card game workout-needed: a deck of cards and light weights if desired.  The number on the card is the number of repetitions you will do of any exercise you choose except face cards are 15 reps and jokers are 20 reps. The suit is the body area you will work on.

Hearts- upper body exercise: push-ups, biceps curls, front raises, side raises, shoulder press, bent-over rows, overhead triceps extensions

Spades-core exercise: sit up, elbow plank, bicycle crunch, hands and knees opposite arm and leg reach, Russian twist, mountain climbers

Diamonds-lower body: squats, lunges, heel raises, sidestepping, single leg balance, bridging

Clubs-cardio exercise: jumping jacks, jog in place, single-leg hopping in place, march in place, quick step-ups, jump rope.

Science is showing us that taking a short break from sitting effectively breaks up our sedentary behaviors, decreases health risks, decreases eye fatigue, improves brain health, and improves our posture. Let’s put it all together! Set a timer for every 20-30 minutes as your schedule allows.  Challenge yourself to not only look away from your screen for 20 seconds by changing your posture but actually get up and perform a light exercise or go get a drink of water.  Your eyes, brain, heart, and muscles will thank you!

REFERENCES:

1)       Dempsey, P. C. et al.  (2016). Interrupting prolonged sitting with brief bouts of light walking or simple resistance activities reduces resting blood pressure and plasma noradrenaline in type 2 diabetes.  Journal of Hypertension, 34(12), 2376-2382.

2)       Wheeler, M., Dunstan, D.W., Smith, B., Smith K. I., Scheer, A., Lewis, J., Naylor, L. H.,     Heinonen, I., Ellis, K. A., Cerin, E., Ainslie, P. N.,  Green, D. J. (2019). Morning exercise mitigates the impact of prolonged sitting on cerebral blood flow in older adults.  Journal of Applied Physiology, 126(4), 1049-1055.

3)      Keadle, S. K., Conroy, D. E., Buman, M. P., Dunstan, D. W. (2017). Targeting reductions in sitting time to increase physical activity and improve health. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 49(8), 1572-1582.

4)      Lidin, M., Ekblom-Bak, E., Karlsson, M. R. (2018). Long-term effects of a Swedish lifestyle intervention programme on lifestyle habits and quality of life in people with increased cardiovascular risk. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 46(6), 612-622.