Is Sitting the New Smoking? Debunking the Myth

The phrase "sitting is the new smoking" is effective in drawing attention to the risks of a sedentary lifestyle, but is a hyperbolic comparison. There are risks associated with both behaviors, but they aren’t equivalent.

The Health Risks of Sitting

Prolonged sitting has been linked to several health problems, including back pain, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. The mechanisms behind these risks include:

• Metabolic Changes: Prolonged sitting can reduce insulin sensitivity and impair lipid metabolism, leading to higher levels of blood sugar and cholesterol.

• Musculoskeletal Issues: Sitting for extended periods can contribute to poor posture, back pain, and other musculoskeletal problems. Even if you're reasonably active, hours of sitting—whether reading a book, working on the computer, or watching TV—tighten the hip flexor and hamstring muscles and stiffen the joints. Overly tight hip flexors and hamstrings affect gait and balance, making activities like walking more difficult, and perhaps even setting you up for a fall. Tight hip flexors and hamstrings also contribute to lower back pain and knee stiffness.

Comparing Sitting to Smoking

While the health risks of prolonged sitting and inactivity are significant, equating them to smoking is misleading. Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide, and is responsible for a wide array of severe health conditions, including lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths annually in the United States alone.

Here are two key differences between the two behaviors:

• Severity of Health Risks: Smoking has a more direct and potent impact on health. It introduces toxic substances into the body, leading to immediate and long-term damage to nearly every organ. The direct causality between smoking and a wide range of deadly diseases is well established.

• Addictive Nature: The addictive properties of nicotine make it hard to quit. This creates a dependency that lead to sustained and frequent smoking over many years, compounding health risks.

Sit Less Move More

While the health risks associated with prolonged sitting are undeniable, sitting itself—unlike smoking—is not inherently harmful. It becomes problematic primarily when it replaces physical activity and when done excessively without breaks.

Just how much exercise is needed to counteract the negative health effects of sitting down all day?

According to recent research, about 30-40 minutes per day of "moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity" every day may balance out 10 hours of sitting still. The analysis found the risk of death among those with a more sedentary lifestyle went up as time spent engaging in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity went down.

Older research shows that exercise doesn’t negate the damage done by extended periods of sitting. Cardiology experts reviewing evidence in the journal Circulation say no amount of physical activity is enough to combat the dangerous health effects of sitting for hours each day.

So, with that information, what should you do? Spend less time sitting, of course. The benefits of consistent exercise are irrefutable. It’s important both to exercise and reduce sitting time.

Tips for Moving More

I have a philosophy about movement and exercise that something is better than nothing. So, even if you can’t get 30-40 minutes a day of moderate aerobic activity (and even if you do), do what you can and make a point to stand up periodically and move around. Any amount of exercise is better than sitting for hours on end.

Here are a few ideas to move more throughout your day:

• Five minutes of standing activities (walking the dog, folding laundry, or taking out the trash) for every hour of sitting.

• Set alarms on your phone to remind you to stand up and move every hour.

• Walk around while talking on your phone.

• Stand up during commercials and walk around the room.

• A short walk (10 minutes) after each meal reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.

• Take the stairs when that is an option.

Do you sit too much? What do you do to reduce your sitting time?