Is Sitting The New Smoking? Behind the Study with Researcher Edvard Sagelv

Krissy Vann | Host, All Things Fitness and Wellness

When it comes to exercise, we tend to toss around a lot of slogans:

• Health is wealth

• Exercise is medicine

• Or — the one that sparked curiosity in our guest today — sitting is the new smoking

But how much weight do these sayings factually have? In today's episode, we are joined by Researcher Edvard Sagelv, who's joining us all the way from Norway. We wanted to speak with Edvard after his latest study went viral following its publication in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Edvard and his colleagues aimed to research the impacts of a sedentary lifestyle and determine if there was a magic number of exercise to combat the negative effects such as premature death and chronic disease.

Sedentary lifestyles have become increasingly prevalent in Western countries, with adults spending an average of 9 to 10 hours a day sitting, particularly during working hours. The health risks associated with prolonged sitting, including non-communicable diseases and mortality, have prompted the need for preventive measures.

The study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that the relationship between sedentary time and mortality is influenced by physical activity, and vice versa. In other words, how much you move can significantly impact the risks associated with sitting.

Dive into this podcast episode to explore the researcher and uncover the secrets behind the question: Is Sitting The New Smoking?