Sedentary Death Syndrome? Move it or lose it!

Sedentary Death Syndrome (SeDS).  In all my years of reading scientific journal articles and working in the Exercise Science field, I was perhaps most saddened, but not surprised to see this new phrase coined.  We simply don’t move enough (Lees & Booth, 2004).  Our excessive sitting and physical-inactivity is linked to preventable medical conditions such as obesity, some types of cancer and early death. Sitting for long periods is also correlated with slowing the metabolism, which affects the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar and blood pressure. Houston we have a problem….. a major public health burden and, individually, something that each of us must handle in our own lives if we want to avoid disease. 

This has clearly grown worse over the past few decades, especially with technology. Life has become much too easy for our human bodies. Compared to our grandparents and parents, today we sit excessively, in all segments of our lives; work, transportation and play. Research is only just beginning to report on the wide scope of health consequences from our “improved” lives with a “built environment” that includes re-engineered modern spaces with fabulous furniture and gadgets that limit human movement, not to mention convenient drive-thrus and anything you desire delivered to your house within hours. Scientific evidence tells us that prosperous countries now spend 60% of the waking hours sitting down; however, this rises to as much as 75% for people who work in offices (UK-NHS, 2019) This is a ticking time bomb for each of us because, our bodies are designed to move!

“Use it or lose it” is a known concept quoted by coaches, athletes and exercise scientists for some years -but, the average person tends to believe the myth that a loss of muscle mass with aging is “normal” or “to be expected.”  In fact, after age 40, research shows that we often see up to a 10% loss of muscle mass (or ‘sarcopenia”) each decade. While the effects of aging, such as a change in hormones, may lead to a small amount of sarcopenia; the magnitude of muscle loss we are typically seeing and attributing to aging, is really a result of sedentary behavior.  Some of the most compelling evidence we have seen yet is is in Dr. Vonda Wright’s MRI study, where it is visually shocking.  Dr. Wright, from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, showed virtually no difference in the images of leg muscles (quadriceps) of 40-year-old triathletes in comparison to 70-year-old triathletes. Dr. Wright also demonstrated the important and vivid difference of images from an MRI from a 74-year-old sedentary man whose quadriceps were shrunken and surrounded in fat the quadriceps compared to the 70-year-old athlete above. Dr. Miriam Nelson did some of the earliest groundbreaking work that I can find from the late 1990’s in strength training research on 90-year olds (think seated in chairs with ankle weights) proving that developing and maintaining muscle tissue and strength is possible at any age.

If you workout regularly and try to maintain a healthy weight, kudos to you, but - you are still at much greater risk than we once believed. During the past decade or so, disturbing research has uncovered more risk groups than we originally thought. Of course the greatest risk group for numerous chronic disease is the stereotypical group we know as ‘sedentary’ (clear “lack of moderate-to-vigorous” levels of activity). But, we have recently learned that there is a totally separate risk category for those who may go to the gym 4 to 5 times each week BUT also have a habitual sedentary behavior (too much time sitting).  This is where the phrase was coined phrase that “Sitting is the New Smoking.”  The more recent statistics actually show us that “excessive sitting behaviors” are associated with major chronic health problems, regardless of exercise habits. This means that even those who exercise every day (e.g. a 30 to 60- minute single “dose” at the gym, etc.), but also sit many consecutive hours at work, are still in a greater disease risk category than they hoped. So in summary, even faithful joggers or regular gym members, while somewhat better off, are in an unexpected level of risk.  The consecutive hours of sedentary lifestyle is undermining health and each of us must be our own health advocate.   At any age, we need to move it or lose it – and - move it throughout the day, every day!!

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