#16: Is Sitting Really the New Smoking? | Insight & Strategies for Back & Hip Health

We are currently living in a society where sitting is becoming the new normal. Research is showing that there is a global shift towards greater amounts of our time being spent sitting down. While sitting certainly is necessary, it can begin to work against us and wreak havoc on our overall physical health and wellness.

Recently, the phrase "sitting is the new smoking" has begun to make its way into popular culture, leaving many to wonder if the adverse health effects of chronic sitting are more likely to kill us than smoking. And while this research is important to uncover, for the average person, a direct comparison might be missing the point.

So, in this episode, I discuss the adverse health effects of chronic sitting, particularly as it pertains to our hip and back health, along with provide insight and strategies for how we can mitigate and even reverse the effects of accumulating too much time in a seated position.

Naturally, if you want to know more, hit that play button!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

0:00 - Intro

7:06 - The problem to solve & the big takeaway

12:34 - Why are we sitting so much?

17:27 - Defining “sedentary” behaviour

19:14 - The health impacts of chronic sitting

22:55 - Orthopaedics and sitting

29:28 - Lumbar disc pressures in different seated positions

34:36 - Don’t forget the hips (the lumobopelvic hip complex)

35:59 - The gluteus maximus and “sleepy” glute syndrome

39:35 - Directly comparing health effects of sitting to smoking

40:31 - Stuck between a rock and a hard place

44:47 - Strategies for when you’re sitting

51:17 - Strategies for when you’re not sitting

58:48 - What about standing desks?

1:01:56 - Key takeaways from this episode

1:04:13 - Thank you (and a small request)

ARTICLES REFERENCED WITHIN THIS EPISODE:

1. Conradi, S. M., & Cramer, H. (2025). Get Up, Stand Up—Are We Sitting Ourselves to an Early Death?. Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 31(12), 1007-1008.

2. Vallance, J. K., Gardiner, P. A., Lynch, B. M., D’Silva, A., Boyle, T., Taylor, L. M., ... & Owen, N. (2018). Evaluating the evidence on sitting, smoking, and health: is sitting really the new smoking?. American journal of public health, 108(11), 1478-1482.

3. Baddeley, B., Sornalingam, S., & Cooper, M. (2016). Sitting is the new smoking: where do we stand?. The British Journal of General Practice, 66(646), 258.