When Did Sitting All Day Become Normal?

Last night, I genuinely thought I might have shingles.

A strange burning sensation wrapped around one side of my back and tummy, like sunburn beneath my skin. It was uncomfortable enough to get my attention.

After some detective work (and a conversation with AI 😅) the answer was much less dramatic.

I’d spent two long days at work, sitting.

That’s it.

Not illness.

Not injury.

Not some mysterious health event.

Just… prolonged sitting.

And because I’ve changed so much over the last couple of years, I noticed it immediately.

That got me thinking.

Because this used to be my normal.

When I worked full-time in an office environment, I sat all day.

Sometimes I’d only get up to go to lunch.

And even then? I often ate lunch at my desk.

Sound familiar?

I know so many people still working exactly like this.

Emails.

Meetings.

Deadlines.

More emails.

Quick coffee.

Back to the chair.

And because everyone else is doing the same thing, it feels normal.

But normal doesn’t always mean healthy.

The difference for me now is awareness.

My life looks very different these days.

I move more.

I exercise regularly.

I notice how my body responds.

So when two long sedentary shifts left me with nerve irritation from simply leaning to one side too much, I noticed.

And honestly? It was a wake-up call.

Because if I noticed the impact after two days, what happens after years?

And this isn’t just my opinion.

Research suggests adults in desk-based roles can spend between 65% and 75% of their working day sitting.

Prolonged sedentary time has been linked to increased risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, poor metabolic health, musculoskeletal pain, reduced mobility, lower energy, poorer mental wellbeing, and even increased all-cause mortality.

Let that sink in.

Not because people are lazy.

Because this is how modern work has been designed.

One of the gym team said something brilliant about a year ago.

He’d noticed how little office-based staff were moving and suggested something so simple.

Every hour, get people up for just one minute.

Stretch.

Walk.

Move.

Reset.

Just one minute.

The idea wasn’t taken up.

And here’s the bit that makes this even funnier (or slightly tragic 😆).

This conversation happened in a fitness centre.

Yes. Really 🤣

The one place you’d think movement might get an enthusiastic thumbs up.

But no.

And I remember how deflated he felt, because he sees the consequences every day.

Aches.

Stiffness.

Reduced mobility.

Weight gain.

Low energy.

Pain that people accept as “just getting older.”

But what if some of it isn’t ageing?

What if some of it is adaptation to an environment our bodies were never designed for?

And here’s the irony.

Workplaces make mandatory training for all sorts of things.

Cybersecurity.

Health and safety.

Data protection.

Fire awareness.

All important.

But movement?

The one thing directly connected to musculoskeletal health, circulation, energy, posture, metabolic health, cognitive performance, mood, and long-term wellbeing?

Optional.

Or ignored.

I’m not suggesting forcing people into burpees between Teams calls 😆

But I am asking a serious question.

Why have we normalised sitting for 8+ hours a day as though it has no consequence?

Because it does.

And not always dramatically.

Sometimes it starts quietly.

A stiff back.

Tight hips.

Neck tension.

Brain fog.

Low energy.

Poor posture.

General aches you just learn to live with.

Until one day your body starts speaking louder.

Mine did.

And thankfully, I listened.

So here’s my question for you:

How much of what you currently accept as “normal” might simply be the result of how little you move?

Because awareness changes everything.

💛