Let Me Be Your Wife … Please

Barbara: The title? Okay, I have this preconceived and maybe sexist notion that if I recommend some lifestyle change, I sound like the classic “wife”. You know, the concerned matron who ensures her husband doesn’t eat too many nitrates and goes to the doctor on a regular basis. This notion probably comes from my very compelling personal experience: both my father and husband fall into this category! So no offence intended and if you’ll humour me, I do want to be everybody’s wife for a minute here.

Yesterday, I read this article about the dangers of sitting too long. Now I wouldn’t be bringing this up if it were the usual manifesto on weight loss and/or exercise. We all know the scoop on that, right? What piqued me on this one is that they’re discovering now that people who sit for extended periods of time are prone to developing all sorts of icky cancers. (Is there a non-icky cancer? Jinx!)

Even if you jog EVERY DAY, if you then sit for the rest of it: same risk!

The reason I think it’s so important to spread the word on this is that I was totally in the group of people who assumed if one was basically active, one did not run any added health risks by working stationary. I am also FIRMLY in the group of people who sits for much of the day. I am also in the group of people who has many many beloveds who sit for much of the day. And, of course, we are all doing important stuff: we’re writing and researching and collating and number-crunching and creating and Facebooking. But we are ensconced. Out of necessity.

The article tells us that research into this correlation between the prolonged seated position and various cancers and a shortened life expectancy is just in its infancy. Barely a couple of year’s worth of curiosity has been invested—and already the stats are sadly impressive. “Sitting down is killing us,” reads the copy; “It’s a lifestyle factor that’s like a bomb on health.” Stuff like that.

I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to wait for the next wave of conclusive evidence to get me off my chair in regular intervals and get the body moving, at least somewhat. I already notice that my right shoulder slowly seizes up the longer I sit without a break, and unseizes as soon as I move.

So let me be your wife, please, and urge you, implore you!, to get off your chair as often as you can and move around. Love you!

Deb: I read the same thing, Barb. I totally agree that we should get up and move more and on a regular basis, but I also confess that this article was to me another in the long line of “scare” vibe articles. I read warning after warning about what we are doing not doing eating not eating breathing not breathing, that can give us cancer. I am employing my old friend moderation on all of the above. However, move more ... sure. It’s a good thing! A great thing, in fact. Just make sure you’re not walking around talking on your cell phone!!!