The latest research tells us that sitting down is bad for us. People who spend more time sitting down face higher risks of adverse health reactions and premature death. If it is the actual act of sitting down that is dangerous when carried out to excess, as opposed to simply not exercising, then it seems we cannot even relax on our sofas in the safety of our own homes anymore without worrying about flailing health and deadly conditions. Some even claim that working in a modern office and being exposed to the inactivity typically associated with that environment is more dangerous than smoking.
When we sit down, we relax various key postural muscles. Since they are no longer working to maintain the upright position of the body, they can weaken over time. The hip flexor muscles in particular are shortened when sitting, which causes them to tighten over time, tilting the pelvis and possibly leading to back pain. Also, when seated, our leg muscles are totally relaxed, and since their contractions normally assist blood to travel back up to the heart through the veins, blood circulation is impeded.
In Malta, our statistics per capita when it comes to obesity and inactivity consistently tend to be at par with those in the UK, and inactivity has been calculated to cost the British £1.7 billion per year in the treatment and management of inactivity-related diseases and conditions.
Inactivity is said to cost nations around €60 billion worldwide. We don’t have reliable figures on how much it costs us here in Malta, but if the expense of medical treatment and management of inactivity-related conditions and diseases in individual cases in the UK is comparable to what it is here, then a quick look at the population difference against a cost factor of £1.7 billion means we are looking at some staggering and very unnerving numbers.
Inactivity is said to cost nations around €60 billion worldwide
Technology meanwhile is still generally leading us in the direction of easier and less active lives. We strive to reduce travelling times and walking distances and adapt physically active tasks by using machines, gadgets and apps, all designed to make our lives easier. Then, we suddenly realise we have made our lives a little too easy and proceed to invest time and money to simulate physical activity in the controlled environment of a gym, or acquire yet more machines and gadgets with which we can walk, run, stride or step our way to better health.
It can all seem a little strange and, today, we will take a look at a machine that shows how things are probably about to get even stranger. The one positive thing about alarming statistics is that they can sometimes jolt us into some form of positive action. When researchers at Bielefeld University in Germany heard about all the bad press sitting down has been getting, they came up with a fitness machine unlike any other. In fact, upon looking at it, a fitness device is certainly the last thing you would suspect it to be. It would seem we have gone from super sets to super seats.
Yes, their solution to the sitting epidemic is, believe it or not, a chair. It looks like a regular reclining armchair and it even has a foot rest thrown in for good measure, but it is a chair with a big difference. When positioned in front of a TV, the chair communicates with an on-screen avatar, who acts as a personal trainer, guiding the occupant through a range of chair-based exercises.
The exercises themselves are intended to be playful and fun and target all areas of the body. For those who are ready to step out of the chair, additional more advanced exercises in a standing position are there to accommodate. Motion sensors allow the on-screen personal trainer to track all movements, which are also projected as a visual aid for the user to follow. The system can then provide ongoing feedback related to speed and range of movement and intensity. The personal trainer will provide motivation and encouragement in positive reinforcement style, without laying down strict rules.
Best of all for some users, the recliner can be set to initiate at a pre-set time when your favourite TV show is set to start for a comfy post-workout treat. This might actually sound like an April fools joke, but I can assure you it is not. The chair will even rise and lower itself automatically to help physically challenged users to get in and out of it. There is talk of the personal trainer getting into sorting out your own personal nutritional regimen, as well as a range of upgrades to the system, including synching with smart phones and smart watches and the addition of instruments for measuring body temperature, respiration and heart rate. Such parameters would allow full monitoring of user performance, allowing for the development of custom-made workouts and long-term programmes.
The project was in part inspired by a product called the ‘SonicChair’, which comprises motion sensors embedded within the chair itself. When the user is static for excessively long periods of time, a signal sounds, letting the user know they need to get up and move around.
The chair can also detect posture and let you know when you are slouching. So if you thought all chairs were about to come with health warnings, think again. Exercise scientists look poised to generate new and imaginative ways to tackle dire health statistics.
matthew.muscat.inglott@mcast.edu.mt