A new report was recently released tying the simple act of sitting to about 92,000 cancer cases a year. In fact, the reason for the cancer cases is due to the simplicity of sitting and it’s lack of movement. It isn’t the first report though to announce how sitting and inactivity alone can impact lives. A study published earlier this year in June showed that sitting can be as deadly as smoking. Could it be true that inactivity is destroying our society as we know it?
Sitting and Inactivity Tied to About 92,000 Cancer Cases Annually
The recent report found that inactivity is a huge contributor to various types of cancers such as colon cancer and breast cancer with 43,000 cases of colon cancer and 49,000 cases of breast cancer caused each year. But that is only 2 types of cancer directly attributed with inactivity that were announced in the report. The truth is that nothing separates inactivity from all illness and disease, whether it be the direct cause or simply a contributing factor. In fact, sitting for more than 6 hours per day could result in a 37 percent increased chance of death from any health-related cause.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 31 percent of adults aged 15+ were inactive in 2008, with 28 percent of that figure being men and 34 percent being women. The WHO also states that inactivity is tied to 3.2 million deaths each year. However, if the link was more appropriately tied in with all illness and disease, that number would likely be much higher.
Widespread inactivity does have something to do with our simple, in a sense, lifestyle. Food no longer needs to be chased or hunted; travel is made easy by cars, elevators, and escalators; communication via travel is no longer necessary thanks to technological advancements like cell phones and computers.
But the other main cause may be more of a psychologically demanding related issue. With most people being middle class and having to work long hours just to get by, how can there possibly be time for exercise? In addition, those long work hours are often spent sitting down at a desk. Setting the time aspect aside, how can one possibly generate a motivation to move after being psychologically struck down by extremely long working hours with little reward?
As difficult as it may seem to get in any amount of time for exercise, by doing so you will be helping your goal of moving forward in all aspects of life. Exercise clears the mind, strengthens both the body as well as the brain, and gives you a positive feeling of accomplishment. While inactivity is a contributing factor for all illness and disease, activity will fight off all illness and disease and lead to a longer, happier life. You don’t need to be the victim of breast cancer, or colon cancer just because you sit too much. Something as simple as walking can have profound benefits on the body while at the same time giving you a time period of mindful relaxation.
37% increase from sitting for 6+ hours! Looks like we need to start changing the office lifestyle.