By: Dr Ore Taiwo Makinde
Over the past few weeks before the lock-down was eased; individuals, various organizations and companies shifted into a new mode. It was for a good reason though, in an era where physical distancing is trending as a new social norm.
Schools started by engaging their pupils and students in online classes. Churches aired their services and messages from various social media channels. Even hospitals started employing the use of telehealth to attend to patients who did not need to come into the hospital urgently. Global and regional conferences that had been hereto canceled are now being held virtually.
Instead of seminars, we now have webinars. It is amazing to watch how life has evolved and how we have adapted so quickly to the present reality. Even more exciting for some of us is being able to watch live football games without an audience in the stadium. Listening to the recorded background echo of music and fans helps to bring home the event in the comfort of our living rooms.
All these efforts are in a bid to control the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. However, there is one singular theme that is common to all these online events. Sitting and more sitting. That’s it. We spend most of the day on our seats.
High volume sitting occurs when an individual spends eight hours or more of the day sitting. Let us do a quick mental calculation. How many hours do you spend sitting in a day? Research shows that our lifestyle encourages high volume sitting which is associated with several chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, osteoarthritis, overweight and obesity. Sedentary living is linked to premature death and unhealthy ageing. The benefits of being physically active cannot be over-emphasized in reducing the risk of weight gain, type 2 diabetes, clots in the vein, osteoporosis and some cancers, to mention a few.
We are being pulled in two opposite directions. So let us remind ourselves of how to overcome high volume sitting with the following strategies:
- Aim at engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity for 30 to 60 minutes daily; either at a stretch or in pulses of 10 or 15 minutes. This includes brisk walking, jogging, swimming, or skipping.
- Get an exercise partner: to motivate you and keep the walk interesting. This partner could be your spouse or any of your children.
- Take on Do-It-Yourself (DIY) tasks: to keep yourself active during the day such as washing dishes and engaging in other house chores.
- Set your phone timer: to remind you to stand up once every 20 minutes even if you are in a meeting. It is important to note here that observing the 20-20-20 rule of looking away from your phone or computer device to a distance of 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds is important to avoid eye strain.
- Advocacy should be made to various organizations to schedule intermittent tea-breaks during webinars so that participants do not feel odd having to change their positions from time to time.
- Adopt a balanced posture when walking: this includes standing tall, holding the head up, looking straight ahead, and swinging the arms from the shoulders. Wear appropriate clothing or footwear and step lightly to avoid unnecessary injury.
In conclusion, physical activity is important for all individuals. It is time to break out of the high volume sitting mode and move more. This will improve our health-related quality of life, especially when adopted in conjunction with other evidence-based lifestyle changes.
Dr Ore Taiwo Makinde is a Consultant Family Physician and certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician.
