Credit: Underground Couple by Julia Pomeroy

What is Sedentary Behaviour?

Sedentary behaviour is generally defined as a lack or low level of physical activity. More scientifically, it is the habitual behaviour of choosing and indulging in low-energy expenditure activities, the most common being sitting [1, p.231]. And in more recent times, it has been used to describe a lifestyle. The sedentary lifestyle of the 21st century is one where the average American spends almost 8 hours of their waking hours being sedentary, essentially barely moving [2]. And the numbers in the UK are not much better.

Globally, statistics show that 31% of people across the world aged over 15 years aren't doing enough physical activity, contributing to approximately 3.2 million deaths each year! [3]. In the UK, research shows that in 2016, if prolonged sedentary behaviour was eliminated, 69, 276 UK deaths might have been avoided [9]. While one would think working adults spend more time sitting than children, a shocking study found that 4 out of 5 adolescents (80%) aged 13-15 aren't doing the suggested 60 minutes of physical activity a day. And the numbers have not gotten any better in the 10 years since that research was published! [8]. Researchers across the world and organisations like the WHO have now described sedentarism as a major global health issue, claiming it to be one of the leading causes of chronic health conditions.

But what has caused this rise in sedentary behaviour?

While the phenomenon of sedentary behaviour is complex, the root causes can be put down to industrialisation and advancement of technologies that encourage low levels of movement.

1. Industrialisation of the Workforce

Many jobs that once required physical labour have been mechanised. For example, agriculture, which historically involved hours of manual labour, now relies on massive machines to perform most tasks. The majority of modern jobs now require little more than hand movements on a keyboard.

2. Technological Advancements That Promote Inactivity

Entertainment technology, such as televisions and streaming services, encourages prolonged sitting. Household chores have been automated with inventions like washing machines and vacuum cleaners, reducing the need for physical exertion.

3. Lack of Public Exercise Spaces

Limited access to parks, green spaces, and recreational areas, especially in cities, discourages people from engaging in outdoor activities. Furthermore, the privatisation and monetisation of exercise, for example through gyms and fitness classes, means that people on low incomes or without the extra budget cannot access spaces to move and exercise.

4. Widespread Use of Cars and Public Transport

The increased reliance on motorised transportation (eg. cars) reduces the need for one to walk or cycle. Not only this, but car-centric cities have built infrastructure which makes walking and cycling not only difficult, but often dangerous. Why encourage your child to walk to school when the threat of being hit by a car looms?

5. Work/productivity-Focused Societies with Limited Leisure Time

Many people find it challenging to make time for movement due to demanding work schedules and productivity-driven work cultures. And many companies see taking 'leisure' time as hindering productivity and limiting potential profit.

As a result, we have created a society where movement is no longer necessary for survival. Unlike our ancestors, who spent most of their time engaging in physical activity—growing food, building homes, and hunting for survival—modern humans now spend much of their lives stationary.

What are the effects of Sedentary Behaviour?

As societies have gotten quickly more sedentary over the last few decades, lots of research has been done on its effects on our physical and mental health. Living a sedentary lifestyle has…

Physical Health Impacts:

1. Increased Risk of Mortality

Prolonged sitting time over 7 hours per day can lead to a 5% increase in all-cause mortality for each additional hour spent sitting [1, p.239]. According to the WHO, people who are insufficiently active have a 20-30% increased risk of death compared to those who are sufficiently active [4].

2. Increase risk of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

These now account for 74% of all global deaths per year [1, p.240]. Sedentary behaviours are associated with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, coronary and cerebrovascular diseases. It also increases your risk of developing obesity, metabolic syndromes, cancer, and non-alcoholic liver disease.

3. Slower and Inflexible Metabolism:

Research shows that many of these diseases linked to sedentarism are caused by a slower metabolism, which leads to higher blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, and slower fat breakdown. Not only does sedentary behaviour cause a slow metabolism, but an inflexible one. Recent research suggests that the flexible metabolism humans evolved to deal with constantly varying access to food does not do well in our modern time, where we have constant access to high-calorie, low-nutrient food [12]. This has led to many of the metabolic disorders listed above. But as Freese et al (2017) explain, it is possible to ‘retrain’ your metabolism by essentially mimicking our ancestors’ eating patterns: moving more, eating less processed foods and fasting occasionally.

Credit: Pinto AJ, et al (2023): Physiology of Sedentary Behavior (journals.physiology.org)

Mental Health Impacts:

1. Higher Rates of Anxiety, Depression, and Dementia:

Sedentarism is linked to higher stress levels, poor sleep, and increased risks of mental health conditions. A lack of physical activity reduces access to serotonin—the 'happy hormone' — which is naturally boosted through movement [10].

2. General Well-being and Mood:

Even reducing sedentary time by just 1 hour per day can benefit mood, stress levels, and sleep quality [5, p.274].

3. Lack of Embodiment:

Less movement reduces one’s awareness of bodily cues, such as hunger. Increased physical activity fosters a positive connection to the body, greater agency, and feelings of calm [11].

What can you do to avoid a sedentary lifestyle?

1. Commuting

Especially if living in a city or town, you could start cycling or walking to work.

2. At work

You could try a standing desk & walk pad.
Put a timer on every hour to remind you to get up: take 'micro-breaks'.
Move something, somewhere every hour! Just standing, stretching, a wander around the office is better than nothing! Doing this has shown to have significant impact on productivity and mental and physical health [7].
Eat your lunch outside in a park – just the walk out of your office is a step in the right direction

3. In life:

Do 'mini-movements' in the between times. For example, when waiting for the kettle to boil, do a few squats or arm lifts - Just quick simple movements to encourage you to engage with your body and get the blood moving!
Find FUN movements! Such as dancing in your lounge or skipping. There’s nothing like tapping into childhood fun to encourage wellness.
Hire a personal trainer or use a workout app to encourage you to find new ways to move.
Opt for the stairs over the lift when you can.
Try any and all hobbies until you find one you enjoy

The Bigger Question: Speed & Efficiency Over Wellness

Our society often prioritises speed and efficiency over well-being, but is this always beneficial? Consider this:

Would taking a 20-minute bus ride instead of walking 35 minutes truly make your day more productive?
Does that extra 15 minutes at home or work bring more value than an energising 30-minute walk?
Are speed and efficiency always the best choices, or would taking the slow route benefit us more?

More often than expected, the answer is no. Prioritising movement, even in small ways, can lead to better physical and mental health, improved well-being, and ultimately, a more fulfilling life. My point can be bolstered by this comparison of drawings by children who walked to school vs got driven to school. The lifeless drawing on the left is surely no match for the life and energy and joy radiating out of the right-hand picture. While this post is focusing more on the lack of safe infrastructure for such walking, I feel my point still stands. The value of moving one's body isn't simply in its benefits on our physical health, it fundamentally changes how we engage with and see the world around us - it makes it brighter, deeper, wider. When we give ourselves the time to MOVE through the world and not SIT through the world, we see more, we feel more, we love more.