You Can’t Outwork Your Sedentary Lifestyle
You’ve probably heard the saying, “you can’t outrun a bad diet.” Hopefully by now you know that this statement is absolutely true. Not only is it easier to overeat calories burned, but we also don’t burn nearly as many calories as we think we do. On the other side of this same coin, is the title of this article: you can’t outwork your sedentary lifestyle.
I almost wish this were the more popular mantra because in all honesty, we deep down know what foods we should be fueling out bodies with. You know which foods will provide you with the nutrients you need and you know which foods you eat simply to feed your craving rather than fuel your body. As much as we hate to admit it, our bodies are complex machines made to move; and absolutely no one in the world can replace the movement necessary for our bodies function with a 60 minute workout five days a week.
According to a study published by JAMA, U.S. adults spend an average of 6.4 hours sitting per day. Nearly 100 days a year are spent sitting, with an additional 121 days sleeping. Isn’t that something? We spend 60% of the year sedentary, but convince ourselves that our hour long daily workouts (which would only add up to 15 days per year) somehow counterbalances that. I’m no mathematician but I know that that doesn’t sound right.
Now, this isn’t to say that if your goals are strictly physique related that you can’t achieve those goals with the aforementioned circumstances, because you absolutely could; even with far less workouts. But, that is all you will have, a physique, nothing more. If that’s what you want then all you need is some resistance, cardio, and less food (most of you probably need to lose fat). But, if you want a functioning high performing body, then I suggest you continue reading, because cardio and resistance, in a traditional sense, won’t cut it.
Now I won’t bore you with historical context as to how humans moved during the Stone Age or Ice Age as neanderthals and hunter gatherers, because some might suggest that we have simply evolved according to need. To that I will say, this is true, but I ask, to what end?
Our evolution, up until recently, has been resultant of our environments. Our brains have grown, our canine teeth have shrunk, and we walk bipedally; all of this resultant of natural evolution. Ostensibly, the modern day sedentary lifestyle is resultant of our professional lives and the technological revolution. If we spend much of our days working, and 86% of us (according to this survey conducted by Ergotron) work a desk job, and then come home and relax by watching TV or scrolling on our phones, well it’s obvious then where the problem lies.
Your lower back pain, knee creaks, tight shoulders, and tight hips are tangible examples of these principles. These pains are the consequence of your lack of movement. Not only does your mobility and strength greatly suffer from your sedentary lifestyle but so does your brain and heart. According to Dr. I-Min Lee of Harvard Medical School, sedentary behavior can increase your risk of heart complications and heart disease. Dr. I-Min Lee also says that inactivity can increase a person’s risk of diabetes, cancer, and dementia.
Am I telling you to quit your job? No, I’m telling you to stop structuring your day around your job, and start structuring your day around movement. Our bodies are not expendable and they are easily adaptable. According to general adaption and the SAID principle, we become what we do. And in the words movement coach Ido Portal ,
“The body will become better at whatever you do, or don’t do. If you don’t move, your body will make you better at not moving. If you move, your body will allow more movement.”
So yes, you can’t outwork your sedentary lifestyle, but you can, and should, out move it.
