Life is like a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving. A sedentary lifestyle is one involving little or no physical activity, with little energy expenditure. The less sitting or lying down you do during the day, the better your chances for living a healthy life. As the world entered a global pandemic two years ago, the population was told to stay home while the majority of work, travel and activities were shut down, forcing everyone inside. These restrictions reduced the ability to go anywhere and limited mobility. Although meant to keep everyone safe, these measures increased sedentary behavior and exasperated the problem by paving the way for chronic diseases. Now, nearly 25% of American adults spend more than 8 hours of their waking day sitting, and about 40% are physically inactive.1
Most people’s waking hours involve extended sitting and reclining, which involve harmful behaviors such as being hunched over a computer, television viewing, playing video games or reading. An analysis of 13 studies of sitting time and activity levels found that those who sit for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity have a risk of dying similar to the risks posed by obesity and smoking.5 Humans are built to move more and sit less, yet frequently engage in the opposite behaviors. The CDC suggests a sedentary life will negatively affect your health.