The Hidden Hazards of Sitting and the Power of Daily Movement

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Ever thought sitting could be as dangerous as smoking? Join us as we uncover the hidden hazards of a sedentary lifestyle. Dr. Wanda Wright,  passionately calls sitting a "silent killer." Reflecting on personal experiences and societal attitudes toward aging, we challenge long-held beliefs about physical decline and share a transformative moment that made us reassess our own sedentary habits. This episode isn't just about raising awareness – it's a call to action for everyone to adopt a more active lifestyle and change the way we view aging.

In our next segment, we dive into the power of daily habits and their tremendous impact on health. Whether it's walking on a treadmill or swimming, we discuss how small, consistent efforts can lead to significant physical and mental health benefits over time. Sharing personal stories of improved self-esteem and pain reduction, we highlight the importance of gradually increasing activity levels without over-exerting oneself. Celebrate the achievements of women in podcasting with us, and let's inspire each other to build strength and resilience through mindful movement every day. Don't forget to connect with us on social media and vote for us in the Women in Podcasting awards!

Hypnotherapy coaching sessions can help if you are struggling with anxiety.  Please email us at englishsisters@gmail.com if you would like help with an issue, mentioning this episode of our podcast for a special discounted rate. We work with clients worldwide over Zoom or Skype. Buy our Book Stress Free in Three Minutes available on Amazon and Kindle, to help support our work. Thank you!

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Chapters

• 0:00 The Dangers of a Sedentary Lifestyle
• 13:43 Improving Health Through Daily Habits

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

How sitting could be making you die earlier than you could be otherwise. That's what they say now, isn't it? It's like the silent killer just sitting down all day. Yeah, I was listening to a podcast when they were saying exactly that, and that's what we're going to be talking about in Get Real with the English Sisters this week. So we're sitting now, but we're going to be active after this. Definitely it's going to make us realise, isn't it even more so, please do come and say hi on Instagram, youtube or wherever you get your podcasts. Come and say hello, and you can also message us and remember to vote for us in the Women in Podcasting awards, because we really appreciate you. Thank you so much for all your support. Um, we are growing as a podcast show and the community around us is growing too, so thank you so much. You know we are women in podcasting and we're proud of that. We are, yeah, because there's not that many of us. There's not that many of us and um, yay, so go for all the women out there that are doing podcasts and for for everybody, really all podcasters out there, thank you for. Thank you, because we love listening to podcasts too. We do. Do they really have enriched our lives, haven't they? Really Very much so.

Speaker 1: 1:26

In this one I was listening to, dr Wanda Wright was there, and she was talking to Stephen Bartlett in the Diary of a CEO, and she was saying how the silent killer is sitting. Yes, yes, yes, yes. That really shocked me. That's why I've just said it now. Yeah, I was shocked. Yes, yes, yes, that really shocked me. That's why I've just said it now. Yeah, I was shocked. I was shocked more a few years ago than I am now, because I've heard about it now more. Right, yeah, because we really don't realise how much we actually spend of our lives just sitting down.

Speaker 1: 1:56

There's so many silent killers out there, though, isn't there, like the blood pressure and high blood pressure and this and that Come on. Yeah, yeah. You think everything's like a silent killer. Well, we all have to die sometime, don't? We have to die off something, but wouldn't we rather die in a, in a stronger fit way, than because we become sedentary and weak and, like, fall over and, you know, break some bones and then we haven't got any, any muscle? No, I, I definitely think that, yes, we do have to be aware of that, and also, it is a mind thing, isn't it? It's like a culture thing. Yeah, yeah, she actually refers to it as a mind virus that, as we, we are conditioned to believing that as we get older, our, we, we, we decrease our muscle mass, we get weaker and weaker. Where she says it doesn't have to be like that, we can. There's so many advancements also in medicine.

Speaker 1: 2:51

Now, you're right, I think that's so creepy. Yes, why is it that us in the western world, we suddenly believe that as we age, that's it like you have to be like sitting down and you're going to get all crooked and have the little walking stick. You know, that's a classical thing that we think about in in our culture, as as you get older but not in all cultures it's like that. You know, in some of the Asian cultures they have they believe that you know, as as soon as you start becoming elderly, you go to gym and you become very, very strong. So actually there was some kind of a study done. I remember years ago now, so I can't tell you who did it, but they asked a child in the Western world I think it was America to draw a picture of an elderly person, and he or she drew this typical little picture of somebody walking along with all curved, yeah, and really is all frail. And they asked an asian child to draw an elderly person and they drew this strong person, super strong. That was like in some kind of a you know power pose or something. And I remember that really hit me when I learned about that, like 15 years ago, and I thought, wow, look at the difference. Yeah, so what is it? We have this mind virus that we suddenly believe, oh, I'm getting old, so any kind of ache and pain it's acceptable, yeah, and I do nothing about it. That's because it's part of my degrading you know kind of body, whatever.

Speaker 1: 4:33

Well, I remember when my daughter told me that I was sedentary and I needed a bit. Yeah, I know, of course. I know that I'm not sedentary, because if you were sedentary, I was. I walk around day. We've got big houses, we do masses of housework, gardening in and out yes, up and down, putting the fire on, turning the wood, everything. Yeah, she said, no way, that's not enough, mum, you're not doing enough steps. And then she got us the watches. Yeah, mum and Aunty, yeah, she. Yeah, my man, auntie yeah, she got me, she got us the watches. And then, and then, best thing ever, yeah, the best thing.

Speaker 1: 5:09

And then we realized that we were actually sedentary because we didn't. We didn't actually have, you know, we didn't actually do a 30 minute non-stop walk, or 35 minutes even, and it's all bits and bobs, wasn't it like moving here and there? And there was a lot of time sitting down as well, because we work online, we work, you know, we do things. So there was a lot of time when we were actually sitting, like we are now, yes, and we didn't realize that we needed and we've got cars, we live in the countryside, so we don't actually walk to places. So, you know, it's all about making sure that you're not sedentary, and maybe you believe that you're not, but actually, you know, being a bit more accountable, maybe for it, yeah, because I mean, I was completely convinced that I was not sedentary. Oh, yes, totally, it was quite.

Speaker 1: 5:55

And then I remember they say I go to gym. She said you have to do the 8,000 steps. It was at first. Then I thought 8,000, okay, we do that. And then she got us to get the washes, and then I think I did at the time because I was more active than you were, but you definitely did not. I don't think you did either. Most days, maybe one or two, maybe one or two. Now I don't. Now I know I don. Yeah, I've got to get back to it.

Speaker 1: 6:27

And also, apparently, when you build muscle mass, that can actually save your life. And I remember how shocked I was when I learned that, when I was, like when we first started going to gym, when the trainer told us he became our friend. He said if you're in an accident you know, a life-threatening accident people that have muscle mass have much more survival chances of surviving an accident, a serious accident. I can't remember that. He said you'll have a much higher recovery than if you haven't got muscle mass Because you're fit in general. Yeah, because you're fit and your whole body is fit Gosh. So that means that you can recover easier and you'll have a higher chance of surviving.

Speaker 1: 7:11

And we know, as we get older, like if you fall and you're elderly and you know you break something, that's a cause of death in a lot of times. Yeah, and I think that's why in Italyaly, people die a lot later. Yes, because they, even though they might not be doing like weight training or anything, but they've got a much higher. You know they're in and out more. They live outside a lot. They're moving around. They are moving around. Yeah, well, in general, I yeah, yeah, in general.

Speaker 1: 7:43

Yes, there's still a lot of like the elderly people that do live in villages, which is lucky for them, because the ones in cities are more isolated. But the ones that do live in the villages there you, I mean especially around here where we live in the countryside they're all off, they're up there, they get up like at five o'clock in the morning, they're out there, they're, they're doing their yeah, their grapes and looking after the olive trees and super busy. And then, you know, they come back and then it's making the dinner and they're busy, they're active. Yes, normally they are active. Yes, they're not just sitting in front of the tv watching tv all day. That's very, very rare. Yeah, that is still thank goodness, because that's more common.

Speaker 1: 8:30

I think the more you get towards, you know, like in the uk, it's really common because the weather's so horrible, not all the time, but in general. In general it's cold. People are more isolated as well. They don't, maybe don't live near their, so they haven't got all this. You know, come and help me, or, grandma, come and help me, come and do this for me. They haven't got all that community that you know is always demanding their kind of attention off them. They've got more time just to laze around and just be in front of the TV and get bored, kind of thing. Yeah, that's seriously not good.

Speaker 1: 9:03

You get really sedentary and also, I think when you are sedentary, you get more tempted to eat unhealthily and that, and you get more cravings because you're not, you're just like bored, aren't you? You're bored, aren't you? And you're trying to also feel, maybe, an emotional need of connection, definitely. Yeah, no, that's sad, that's sad, isn't it? That is sad, yes, uh, because elderly people, they do have so much to share as well, so they, you could really, you know, if you are elderly, you could think what do I have to give?

Speaker 1: 9:37

And you might think, oh, I don't know how to do anything. Yes, you do, you've got, you know so much really that you could share it with somebody. And you know somebody young can learn that skill, whether it's needlework, if you're maybe an elderly lady and you really know how to sew really well or do knitting, crochet, whatever it is you know. Build little communities around you, yeah, definitely. And if you're young and you know somebody. Yeah, but I think when you're young, you have to start young to do these things as well. It's never too late, of course. Never too late.

Speaker 1: 10:11

No, I think we all have to be a bit more conscious, a bit more aware of. Yeah, it's the opposite way around, isn't it? Now, if they're not super, so you can go to the other extreme. Yeah, when you start feeling guilty about not doing enough and not working out enough. So you know there's, there has to be a happy medium, I think here, I think and there has to be, is what we always say there has to be a bit of common sense around it as well. So become aware of it.

Speaker 1: 10:36

But don't beat yourself up if one day you haven't done your 10 000 steps, or if you haven't done your body weight training, or you haven't picked up two tomato cans or whatever. Yeah, I think. Just generally try and incorporate. Just remember, yes, I think it's a good activity. So you can maybe do a few squats when you're boiling the kettle, or you can do a few. Yes, pick up a few little, maybe with your shopping as well. Just make more of an effort to pick up your shopping. Yes, be a bit more active around the house as well.

Speaker 1: 11:08

Don't think, oh, no, I'll save that, because I remember a lot of times I used to place something somewhere and then I would say, oh, I, I'll get that thing and put it away later when I'm going up to go and do something else. Right, yeah? Whereas now I see something and I say I'll get some extra steps. What is like me, i's like me. I would just anything I had to take upstairs, I would just leave it like on the stairs. Yeah, so when I pop up, no, now I actually go purposely up the stairs. So at least every you know quite often because it's upstairs and downstairs so at least I'll get 10 flights of stairs in every day.

Speaker 1: 11:42

The watches love it when you get your steps in, yeah, normally, the flights, the flights. Yes, it's like 10 flights of stairs. You know, you become more aware. Yeah and yeah, taking the stairs instead of taking a lift, yeah, how easy is it? Yeah, imagine if you live in New York or something.

Speaker 1: 11:59

Gosh, I remember when I was in Paris studying yeah, I was on the fifth building. I got so fit that year. You got so fit because there was no, there was no lift, and I was right up in one of those little attic things. I remember that first I was so out of breath when I used to have yeah, and you're like 20, come on, yeah, yeah, so it's not like it's just for the elderly here. No, you can be any age, just any age.

Speaker 1: 12:26

We have to make sure we build muscle, we build our strength and we get our little walks in. Absolutely Just like our furry friends need their walks, we need them too. Our furry friends, yeah, that's so true. Yeah, they don't want to go for walks now when it's so hot, do they Well? No, it's actually dangerous when it's hot, especially here, because they get little burnt feet and things. Oh, yeah, it gets very hot here in Italy. It is more difficult to be like during the day. You have to take them in the evening. Yeah, in the evening, that's right. Or early morning. Yeah, no excuses, we got up early today. We did Because it was going to be really hot today. So we'll record nice and early. Yes, so I've got up at six. Yeah, it makes a difference.

Speaker 1: 13:10

You can maybe incorporate that extra half an hour into your routine to make sure you like what we always say walk to the bus, stop or walk. You know, take, get off the bus. Uh, if you're in the towns one stop earlier, yeah, it's actually really easy to to fit it in if you accommodate for it, I think, and if you're in the right mindset to do so. If you really want to get fit and strong, I think you have to like prioritise it, don't you? Because it's like prioritising that thing today or another thing.

Speaker 1: 13:43

I think it's a bit like what we always say it's discipline. It's like changing your little habits every day, the daily habits that change your life. They do change your life, though, don't you? They just daily things. You just do it day one and you think that's not going to do anything. No, but then you do it again, and then you do it again, and then you do it again until you actually feel quite good. Because I remember when I first started, when you bought the treadmill in the end I bought the treadmill as well, of course and and at first I didn't really like it, but now you know I'm not saying I actually got to start doing it again. Every time it's the same, so, but now, thankfully, I'm at least I'm swimming, yeah, but what I want to say?

Speaker 1: 14:31

I want to chime in here and say it doesn't matter if you stop doing it for a bit and then you go back to it. The important thing is you're doing it and that you've got it in your mind to do it. Yes, because back to it. The important thing is you're doing it and that you've got it in your mind to do it. Yes, because otherwise you haven't and it's not part of your life. You might say, okay, I haven't done it for a few weeks or a couple of months, but who cares? In the end, you know the world's not going to end. No, you just. But as long as you go back, you go back, you go back. Yeah, it's part of your lifestyle, it becomes part of your lifestyle.

Speaker 1: 14:58

You actually start missing it when you're not doing it as well. Yeah, you know, if you remove the guilt around it and just think, oh, I'm actually missing that, yeah, yeah, because I mean, when I used to do it every day, it had it had become like a moment for me because I would put my my ear pods on and just go, and I didn't kill myself or anything, I just had it. It was just a walk. Yeah, you have to do. Obviously, you have to do what you're capable of. There's no point over exerting yourself either, because that's dangerous. No, I had it like on 5.5 or something, 5.7, just walking 30, 40 minutes, especially if we chat when we're walking.

Speaker 1: 15:35

Sometimes, when we chat, yeah, from one house, when my daughter is in London, ion, I was saying, haven't you got anything juicy to tell me she didn't know. And I said it's taking so long today because we were both, you were both walking, yeah, and I wanted some like to keep your mind distracted. Something interesting that happened, nothing's happened, mom, today and I go all right. Then in the end we started talking about a film or a program or something. Yeah, there's always something. It keeps you busy. It keeps you busy. There really is no excuse In relation to listening to music. There is no excuse nowadays, it's only our mental mindset.

Speaker 1: 16:12

Once we get rid of this kind of mind virus that, oh, we're getting old and it's normal to get weak when you get old and it's normal to have pain yeah, to have pain when you get old, is it really that normal? I mean you don't have to have. I mean we can't speak for an 80 year old yet. No, no, hopefully we will one day, but at the moment we don't know what 80 year olds feel like what it feels like to be in a body of an 80 year old.

Speaker 1: 16:42

But I can remember when I was 30 and when I wasn't very fit, how I used to have so many aches and pains you did you have a lot of. My backache would kill me, yeah, you would, and I was all every time I sat down, oh, my back hurts. I do remember that, yeah. And then I, yeah, I went to get some checkup and they said I had scoliosis or something. Yeah, the normal thing. Everyone gets that, everyone. Yeah, and really it was just because I had to strengthen my back and my abs and my whole body. Really, so true.

Speaker 1: 17:11

I remember when I first went to the gym, like I said I just want to, I want to be like I'm in what part of my body I've toned, my abs or something. And the instructor just laughed at me and he said and he said that doesn't, it's not how it works. You tone your whole body. Yeah, you don't just tone one area of your body, and it's a whole, the whole self, Of course. And I think when you tone your body, your mind gets toned as well. It does and it did, because there is no, separating it, there is no it it's been proven.

Speaker 1: 17:48

And exercise is good for mental health. Yeah, so your physiology how you walk, how you stand, how much activity do you do throughout the day affects all the hormones in your body, every single thing. Your sleep improves, everything improves when you do physical. Plus, your self-esteem improves because you you think, okay, I'm gonna put it on for like 10 minutes today, I'm gonna have that 10 minute walk. I think you know we can all do that, unless obviously we can't, and then you need rest. But if you can walk for 10 minutes, you know, then you can maybe think the next day, maybe 12 minutes and 15 minutes. 15 minutes, that's okay, everyone can do 15 minutes.

Speaker 1: 18:36

You know, when I started swimming, I was disappointed because I only did like six minutes, and then I thought don't be mean on yourself, you know that six minutes non-stop swimming, that was a big deal for me. Now I can do a little bit more. Yeah, I'm not that great, but I've got to like 10 minutes, don't you? Yeah, exactly, I feel, I feel good, I'm happy that I'm doing it. That's the whole point of things. Just to take it easy and just get fitter and fitter day by day. Really, just try and notice how everything improves and every step counts, you know. So, instead of accumulating that little thing there, no, go and do it, go and walk, take it, get up, go somewhere. You know.

Speaker 1: 19:20

Also, if you're just getting up off a chair, you engage your, if you engage your abs and your buttocks, yeah, while you're doing it. So, yeah, you'll, you'll, you'll feel, you know, you'll build up muscle in that area. Yeah, was it you that said that? You know, when you, when you're on the floor, you're supposed to be able to get up off the floor without touching it. Yeah, yeah, I. Yeah, that's why, yeah, I remember that. Now that's actually really quite hard for me. Yeah, because I'm not that flexible. I've increased my fitness but I've lost flexibility, so I have to work on flexibility a bit more. I've increased my flexibility because I've been doing these flexibility exercises anyway, because I had back pain. Exactly, shati got back pain and it's really worked. Yeah, I did a youtube video, actually, and it's brilliant.

Speaker 1: 20:08

Yeah, yeah, so we can. We can, all you know be stronger, be fitter, and there's nothing stopping us really. No, there isn't, it's just ourselves. Mind and body are connected, yes, and we have to all go for it. So let us know what you're going to be doing to get fitter and fitter and healthier and healthier day by day. And it does have a chain reaction. It does you. You start. You'll be surprised how you start drinking more water, you start eating more fruit, you take more care, yeah, take more care of yourself. You get happier. You. You generally get happier. There is happier and healthier, yes, and stronger stronger with more longevity. So let us know what you think, message us, come and support the show. You can now support the show and what else? Nothing, we're going to go and do some fitness fitness. Why are you laughing? You're gonna say later yeah, maybe. Okay, see you soon. Lots of love and smiles from the english sisters. Bye.