The chair is winningHabits

unbry

The chair is winning

A short book about sitting for most of the day and treating stiffness and low energy as age

18 chapters13,214 wordsAbout 60 minFirst edition

What's inside

·Before you startThis is a short book and you can read it in two or three sittings. I notice the irony of that word. If you like, read some of it standing up. It's about…3 min
1Wednesday, twenty to sevenIt's twenty to seven on a Wednesday evening and the doorbell goes. You're on the sofa with your feet up. You put one hand on the arm of the sofa, push…4 min
2Why the chair winsIf your tally has come out at eleven, twelve or thirteen hours, you may be feeling that you've been lazy. I don't think that's the right word, and I don't…2 min
3"It's my age"The age story deserves to be taken seriously, because part of it is true. Bodies do change with the years. Muscle gets harder to keep, recovery slows, and…4 min
4"I'm tired, so I should rest"At three in the afternoon your energy drops. At half past five you get home feeling finished. The obvious reading is that you've used up the day's supply…4 min
5"Stiff means worn out"The noise you make when you stand up comes with a picture. In the picture, your joints are mechanical parts that have done a lot of miles. The stiffness…3 min
6"I go to the gym, so I'm covered"Some readers will have reached this point feeling that the book isn't about them. You swim twice a week, or you go to a class, or you do a parkrun on…3 min
7"I'm not the exercising type"Other readers will have the opposite worry. You don't swim or go to classes. You may have joined a gym twice and stopped going both times. If the people…3 min
8"A couple of minutes can't matter"The rule this book builds towards involves getting up for a minute or two every half hour. Put like that, it sounds too small to do anything. Two minutes…3 min
9"I can't keep getting up, I've got work to do"The strongest practical objection comes from the working day, because that's where most of the tally is and where you have least control. You're paid to…3 min
10"I'll buy a standing desk"Once you've accepted that the sitting is a problem, the tempting next step is to buy something. A desk that goes up and down costs a few hundred pounds…2 min
11The eveningBy seven o'clock the working day's sitting is done, and you could argue that you've earned the sofa. You've been at it since half past eight. The evening…3 min
12What the chair costs youSo far I've talked mostly about risks measured in large studies. Those matter, but they're abstract, and nobody ever got off a sofa because of a hazard…3 min
13What comes backIf the stiffness and tiredness were age, there'd be nothing to discuss. The reason to separate out disuse is that it can be undone, and the evidence for…3 min
14The decisionHere's the rule I'm suggesting. I get up every half hour, and I walk for ten minutes every day. It has six parts, and each one is there for a reason given…3 min
15Long drives, sore knees and other hard casesIf you drive for a living, or you have a long drive ahead. You can't stand up at the wheel. The Highway Code recommends a break of at least fifteen…4 min
16Wednesday againIt's a Wednesday evening some months on, and the doorbell goes at twenty to seven. You're not on the sofa. You got in at half past five, changed your…2 min
·NotesThis book gives general information. It isn't medical advice, and it's no substitute for a professional who knows your situation. NHS guidance is quoted…7 min