THAT comfy chair is taking on a sinister new role as it moves up the rankings of public health's Most Wanted list.
In the United States the current buzz phrase is "sitting is the new
smoking" as chairs are blamed for a widening host of ailments and
shortening lifespan.
Efforts to combat chair-linked illness range from "standing meetings" to "treadmill desks",
which are now on sale in Adelaide
.
Sitting now is being blamed for anything from
heart attacks and diabetes to insomnia, constipation, sore necks, sore
backs, varicose veins, joint problems, poor circulation, poor digestion
... and the list goes on.
As arguably the most sedentary society
in history, Australians now spend the equivalent of a full working week
on their bums. And it is killing us. The origins of the war of chairs
goes back to a landmark study of bus drivers and conductors.
More:
'Make lengthy periods of sitting illegal'
In 1953, British scientist
Jerry Morris
published research identifying sedentary behaviour as
a key factor in widespread heart disease and heart attacks killing
unprecedented numbers of people post-war.
His pioneering study of
London double-decker bus drivers and conductors found conductors half as
likely as their drivers to drop dead of a sudden heart attack because
they were constantly climbing the stairs collecting fares, compared with
the drivers who sat all day.
Sixty years after the busman's breakthrough we have the evidence but not the exercise. The
latest Australian Health Survey
on physical activity showed only 43 per cent of adults meet the recommended minimum of 30 minutes of daily physical activity.
Heart
Foundation cardiovascular health director Dr Robert Grenfell said being
active and sitting less were vital in reducing the risk of heart
disease - the number one killer of Australian men and women.
"Being
active for the recommended minimum of 30 minutes a day is a start, but
what we do in the remaining 23-and-a-half hours is still vital," Dr
Grenfell said.
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