I have signed up to participate in the Ontario Health Study, an ambitious government initiative which plans to track the health of millions of people throughout their lives. As I filled out the preliminary information, I was stumped when I came to one question: How many hours do you sit every day?
No problem with How many hours do you sleep? Answer: 6
How many hours do you do heavy lifting? Zero
How many hours do you walk (going for a walk)? Maybe 30 minutes.
But how many hours do you sit? I had never given it much thought. And I really didn't know.
How many hours do I sit? I asked Terry. Would 4 be a good answer?
More than that, he replied. Probably 8 or 9.
No, it can't be that many!! I don't have a desk job. Maybe 6... Two in the morning as I have my coffee and read, another two in the evening, and then there's meal time... Maybe an hour to an hour and a half a day of sitting...
I think you'll find there's more than that, Terry replied.
And he is right! As I pay attention to my sitting, I realize that there's time in the car going here and there... There's time at my desk, reading the mail... I often sit down for a few minutes... and then I'm up again. In fact, much of my day is spent sitting, standing, and taking a few steps here and there. And then there are the times when I SIT at the computer, at the sewing machine or at my desk.
The only time I don't sit is when I'm walking, gardening, cooking or cleaning... And that doesn't take more than 2 or 3 hours a day!
I can't believe I sit for... 10 to 14 hours a day!! It can't really be that much... can it?!! But I think it is... And that realization has been an eye opener in how sedentary my life really is!
Maybe I need to go for longer walks!!
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