Published in the November 11-24, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Dorene O’Malley
There have been many articles and reports lately touting sitting as the new smoking. But is that really fair?
Sitting is not going to give you lung cancer, cause secondhand smoke issues or make the furniture stink. Is replacing sitting desks with standing workstations the answer? Maybe yes and maybe no. It’s really not the act of sitting in itself that causes health issues, it’s the act of being in one static position for extended periods of time that we are really concerned with. If you just replace standing for sitting without any other changes, you will have only replaced one static position for another and added a few more issues to boot.
When you are repetitively sitting in the same position every day, your muscles change to meet the demands placed on them by changing their composition. The length of muscles and tendons changes, the density of bones is affected, and so is the tension in connective tissues. This all leads to your joints losing range of motion and the stiff feeling that you may have when you finally do get up and try to move.
The stiffness can lead to stiffening of the arterial walls within the muscles. (According to a study of more than 2,000 adults by the Centers for Disease Control, the amount of sitting of a typical office worker is associated with increased coronary artery calcification, which is an early marker for heart disease. The association between calcification and sitting was independent of exercise activity and other traditional heart disease risk factors).
The good news is that if you start to make small changes throughout the day, you can reverse the changes and lead your body back to health. This is why conventional wisdom thought of moving to standing.
There are a number of companies here in Morgan Hill that have transitioned to standing workstations — and some of the employees have told me that they now have aching feet and backs. Of course they do.
There has to be a training period to get your static sitting body used to standing just like you would have had to train to run the Morgan Hill Marathon. (Remember the average marathoner completes the race in about four hours and if you just up and stood the whole day, that’s eight hours. So you would be on your feet for double the amount that the marathoner was.)
If you are fortunate enough to work at one of the companies that has offered you the option of transitioning — that’s great! Opt for the sit/stand variety so that you can alternate between the two. While you are transitioning, bear these tips in mind as they will help you avoid excess stress in the foot arches, knee ligaments and lower back.
• Wear flat shoes (or none at all). Even a one-inch heel changes body alignment.
• Keep feet parallel to each other and pelvis width apart.
• Weight should be in heels and pelvis should be over heels not the toes with knees unlocked.
• Keep pelvis neutral (neither tucked or untucked).
• Position the monitor so your head can be neutral with ears over shoulders.
• Vary your position often throughout the day.
• Use cushioning under foot if the floor is a very hard surface.
One of the companies here in town that made the transition also gave their employees wobble boards, which is fantastic. The boards provide extra cushioning, keep you from being static and can be used for a variety of stretches and movements throughout the day.
If you do not have the option of making the change and will remain at a seated workstation, here are some tips:
• Sit with an un-tucked pelvis. If your hamstrings are too tight to allow that, use a rolled up towel to sit on.
• Work with your shoes off and roll a small ball under your feet.
• Sit with one ankle crossed over the other thigh then switch.
• Sit cross legged.
• Bring in a large exercise ball and sit on it.
In either case, sit or stand, take “health breaks.”
Just as smokers used to get their mandated smoke-breaks, let’s use that time to go for a three-minute walk around the office, raise your arms above your head, gaze out the window or twist a bit side to side. You should vary your position every 30 minutes and find other ways to constantly vary the loads placed upon your body.
Dorene O’Malley is the owner and a certified instructor at CoreHealth Method — Pilates & Corrective Movement in Morgan Hill.
