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Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults

annals.org

51–60 of 115 posts

Re: Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults

#51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Other studies indicate standing all day isn't good either. You really need a combination of stand sit. I actually think ideal based on what I have read is going to end up being some sort of very slow walk. Static positions cause edema and clotting, period. The longer you hold a static position the worse it is. It can damage muscles due to reduced blood flow and the awkward stretching of muscles and connective tissue.…

I'm not much of a desk-stander my self, but it's nice to have the option. To clarify, I was advocating encouraging more options for desk workers - not strictly standing at work. It would also be nice to have a longer standard lunch period. I would love to be able to work out and eat in the middle of my day, but 30 mins just isn't enough.

Are you in a white-collar job? I'm a web dev and I've never worked at a place where your lunch break was capped. Many people in the office head out to the gym in the middle of the day, or go on long lunches when work is light.

Re: Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults

#52

The headline result (sedentary behavior leads to increased risk of mortality) is not completely supported by the results shown in the abstract. They break the test subjects into four groups ranked by activity level, and compare the the highest activity group to the rest. But in the results, only the lowest activity group has a hazard ratio where the 95% confidence interval does not contain 1. Translation: the data on…

I agree.

However the hazard ratio is monotonously increasing across activity groups in the direction one would expect if there is an effect. So the data does indeed show a (meaningful) rise in risk going lower on the activity ladder, only it is not statistically significant.

A continuous model might get more (statistical) traction here. They've got the data. Why use segments?

Re: Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults

#53
post #41
post #2

This should be obvious, however people still refuse to get up, and just walk around every hour for a minute. I spend a silly amount of time behind a computer, but I'll do 10-20 pushups / jumping jacks, every hour or so. After hours, I'll bang out six miles on the hiking trails. Get up, go get a drink, do a lap around the office. Get a stand/sit desk. Do some simple exercises. Pushups can be done anywhere, and will al…

The report said sedentary periods >= 10 minutes were sufficient to cause increased mortality. "(high sedentary time [≥12.5 h/d] and high bout duration [≥10 min/bout]) had the greatest risk for death." I don't think I know anyone who is active on < 10 minute intervals.

Sure, but I'm advocating getting your ass up and doing anything but sitting down all day. 10 minute intervals aren't realistic, but I frequently stand up, at least a half dozen times an hour just to stretch.

Re: Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults

#54
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seconded. I used to feel lower back pain due to the amount of sitting at a desk. Running and lifting weights did wonders for how I feel on a daily basis.

Exercise didn't help me with my occasional back issues, but switching to a standing desk really did. I didn't get one of those adjustable ones, because $400 for a desk that raises and lowers was silly--instead I just got a draft-height chair and stand and sit as appropriate.

At some point, I decided I wasn't even going to bother with a chair. Every time I sit on the tall chair at work, I'm just Not Productive compared to standing.

Re: Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults

#55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not much of a desk-stander my self, but it's nice to have the option. To clarify, I was advocating encouraging more options for desk workers - not strictly standing at work. It would also be nice to have a longer standard lunch period. I would love to be able to work out and eat in the middle of my day, but 30 mins just isn't enough.

Are you in a white-collar job? I'm a web dev and I've never worked at a place where your lunch break was capped. Many people in the office head out to the gym in the middle of the day, or go on long lunches when work is light.

white collar but still on hourly, unfortunately.

Re: Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults

#56

I baffled by how many tech guys/girls don't understand this. This is so obvious it hurts. At my company's last year medical checkup the results were just absurd, specially for men above 30 years old. Abdominal fat, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc..Yet, nobody gives a damn, almost no one changed their habits. Guys, just get up and move. 30m-40m a day, you can fit this into your daily schedule, don't come up with excus…

It might sound stupid but one of the things that's stood in the way of establishing a workout routine for myself is lack of consistent private space to do it in. The self consciousness and embarrassment is just too overbearing, and between an open office at work and having a roommate at home, adequately long contiguous blocks of privacy just aren't there. Gyms aren't really a solution either, as not knowing those sur…

From time to time, I see very out of shape people in the gym. The only thought in my mind when I see them is, "Good on you, goddammit." However, I don't say that aloud because I don't want to put them on the spot. If anyone says anything negative to you for working out, screw them. There are far more people who would rather have you work out and be healthy than not. Please rack your weights though! Haha

Re: Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults

#57

I baffled by how many tech guys/girls don't understand this. This is so obvious it hurts. At my company's last year medical checkup the results were just absurd, specially for men above 30 years old. Abdominal fat, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc..Yet, nobody gives a damn, almost no one changed their habits. Guys, just get up and move. 30m-40m a day, you can fit this into your daily schedule, don't come up with excus…

It might sound stupid but one of the things that's stood in the way of establishing a workout routine for myself is lack of consistent private space to do it in. The self consciousness and embarrassment is just too overbearing, and between an open office at work and having a roommate at home, adequately long contiguous blocks of privacy just aren't there. Gyms aren't really a solution either, as not knowing those sur…

Perhaps you should think about why you can't work out in a non-private space? No one is judging you. No one cares. Each person in the gym only cares about his or her own workout.

If you absolutely can't do the gym, you can run. You can go to yoga (another place where absolutely no one is judging you or even looking at you except the teacher).

Re: Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults

#58
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The report said sedentary periods >= 10 minutes were sufficient to cause increased mortality. "(high sedentary time [≥12.5 h/d] and high bout duration [≥10 min/bout]) had the greatest risk for death." I don't think I know anyone who is active on < 10 minute intervals.

Christ, unless I'm missing something that's practically fundamentally incompatible with modern society and just about any intellectual pursuit.

Standing desk

Re: Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults

#59
post #2

This should be obvious, however people still refuse to get up, and just walk around every hour for a minute. I spend a silly amount of time behind a computer, but I'll do 10-20 pushups / jumping jacks, every hour or so. After hours, I'll bang out six miles on the hiking trails. Get up, go get a drink, do a lap around the office. Get a stand/sit desk. Do some simple exercises. Pushups can be done anywhere, and will al…

Two habits that have changed my life:

1. Waking up early and reading something significant with my morning coffee. Usually something on philosophy or theology. Not looking at any screens until I'm at work.

2. Working out for an hour each day. It's like a switch: once I work out regularly, everything else falls into place. I eat better (because I don't want to lose the benefits of the 1 hour workout I just put in). I sleep better (because I have to be up early to workout).

Working out daily truly is one of the best habits I've ever picked up.

Re: Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults

#60

The headline result (sedentary behavior leads to increased risk of mortality) is not completely supported by the results shown in the abstract. They break the test subjects into four groups ranked by activity level, and compare the the highest activity group to the rest. But in the results, only the lowest activity group has a hazard ratio where the 95% confidence interval does not contain 1. Translation: the data on…

Also they didn't randomize the activity level of the subjects by putting them on different exercise programs. I would think that people being in an end of life state at the beginning of the study would tend to be more likely to be tired and avoid exercise. It could well be that early undiagnosed terminal illness causes people to be sedentary and not the other way around.

Randomized trials are the gold standard, but I wouldn't blast a study straight for being prospective.

My main thingy with studies like these is that actuarial bookkeeping is hard. The difference in base mortality rate between a few age years in difference can be huge. But since the study runs 4, that difference in base rate multiplies. Properly accounting for that is hard.

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