You Shouldn't Sit for More Than 4 Hours per Day, According to Chiropractor

Many Americans spend most of their day sitting down. A nationwide survey revealed the average person spends 9.5 hours sitting down—more than double the amount of time recommended by a chiropractor. And that was before the Covid pandemic and remote working!

Tom Oddo, a chiropractor based in New York City, spoke to Newsweek: "I usually tell patients to sit for less than four hours during their workday because that is likely the most sedentary time in their day.

"The long and short of it is this: if you sit a ton, your body will hurt. But if you move for three to four hours a day on top of all that sitting, you probably won't die from a sitting disease. Although that strategy doesn't leave a lot of time for sleep."

Oddo spoke to Newsweek about the musculoskeletal issues and medical problems that can occur when individuals spend too much time on their behind.

The Dangers of Sitting Too Much

Speaking to Newsweek, Oddo stated: "Sitting itself does not cause medical problems but doing nothing other than sitting (i.e. being sedentary) causes these issues.

The top medical problems correlated with high amounts of sedentary behavior are:

• Obesity: Sedentary behavior is linked to weight gain and obesity, leading to decreased energy expenditure and a slower metabolism.
• Cardiovascular issues: Sitting for extended periods can increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels.
• Type 2 diabetes: Sedentary behavior can cause insulin resistance and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

If these health risks aren't enough to worry about, the following issues can also occur:

• Muscle weakness: Sitting for long periods can lead to muscle weakness, especially in the lower back, core and leg muscles. Muscle weakness can create poor posture and increase vulnerability to injuries.
• Back and neck pain: Sitting for extended periods can stretch and strain the muscles and ligaments in the back and neck, leading to pain and discomfort.
• Poor posture: Sitting for prolonged periods can encourage poor posture, leading to long-term issues and related problems.
• Deterioration of bone health: Lack of weight-bearing activity while sitting can reduce bone density.

How To Reduce Sitting Time

There are over 750,000 office workers currently employed in the United States, according to Zippia, a recruitment service. Many may believe the only way to get their job done is by sitting down at their desk but this is far from the truth.

"I recommend that everyone with a knowledge job spend time both sitting and standing during their workday to prevent the musculoskeletal issues associated with sitting. By limiting the total amount of sitting and the length of sitting bouts, it is possible to prevent muscle weakness, back and neck pain, poor posture, and bone demineralization," Oddo told Newsweek.

Oddo advised people to walk around and stretch their legs every 60 to 90 minutes.

"The easiest way to plan more standing into your day is to plan to stand for communication activity and/or audiovisual work since standing for these activities does not necessarily require a standing desk (think, standing for Zoom calls with your computer propped up on some books or a box). I call this system body-task matching," he added.

Tasks like phone calls, video meetings or reading from a screen do not require hands. "Therefore, standing for these tasks requires little equipment and provides none of the usual ergonomic issues that accompany the creation of a standing workstation for typing (namely, the keyboard must be at a height 3 inches below the elbow of the user)," Oddo told Newsweek.

Study Reveals Standing Can Reduce Stress

In June, researchers from the National Institute for Health and Care Research organized an intervention to encourage desk-based office workers to spend more time on their feet.

The long-term trial included 756 workers. They were split into three groups: intervention (249 people), intervention plus height-adjustable desk (240 people) or usual practice (267 people). They were assessed after a yearlong trial.

The results found people in the intervention group sat for 22 minutes less per day than those in the usual practice group. Those in the group that received intervention-plus-sit-to-stand desk, sat for 64 minutes less per day than those in the usual practice group.

The participants also reported improved stress levels and those in the intervention-plus-standing desk group said their leg and foot pain was reduced.

What To Do During Desk Breaks?

If people work for eight to nine hours per day, ideally, they should spend half of their shift on their feet. However this may not be possible for all, therefore Oddo suggested exercising between bouts of sitting and standing, or outside work hours.

"The distinction between planned exercise and daily life activity is critical when we look at the 'two to four hours' number. Four hours is an unreasonable amount of time to 'exercise' each day," Oddo told Newsweek. "Unless you are a professional athlete, you don't have time to spend four hours working out every day. Exercising is a component of our plan but not the whole plan.

"By asking you to spend four hours being active each day, I am highlighting the fact that you can and should fit more non-exercise activities into your life. Being a human means moving your body; it does not mean handcuffing yourself to an elliptical or treadmill for a quarter of your waking hours."

'Work From Home Is a Double-Edged Sword'

Since the coronavirus pandemics, many have turned to remote working, which some studies have suggested is likelier to increase sitting time overall.

Oddo told Newsweek: "Work from home is a double-edged sword. Cutting commute times affords many people more time to do things other than work. Unfortunately, it also removes the impetus for people to get up and move. Working from home decreases your overall activity level. Without a meaningful reason to leave the house, many people perform less movement overall."

Oddo advised people to "plan movement into their day." He encouraged home-based workers to "start small and gradually increasing the duration and intensity of physical activity over time will help grow your capacity."

Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.