Ep 168: Is Sitting Aging You Faster?

Barefoot Expo May 16-17 2025

Biomechanist Katy Bowman talks to biologist Jeannette Loram about a recent New York Times article “ Why Sitting All Day May Shorten Your Life”. Katy was a source for this article and she talks with Jeannette about the journalistic process, and why the short-form might be letting us down.

Katy and Jeannette talk about the benefits of sitting as well as the risks associated with uninterrupted hours in a chair. They discuss sitting as a two-part issue; first the inactivity and second the fixed body geometry. Katy and Jeannette discuss recent research showing that long hours of sitting are associated with a more rapid rate of cellular aging and how many experiences we put down to aging: muscle and bone loss, low energy levels and low back pain are really influenced by how much we sit.

Katy and Jeannette critique the recommendation to offset hours in a chair by increasing exercise time, noting that this is not really how biology works. Katy suggests that this approach is a bit like flossing your teeth diligently while not brushing them.

SPONSORS: THE DYNAMIC COLLECTIVE 

This episode of The Move Your DNA podcast is brought to you by The Dynamic Collective, a group of six companies that create products and services helping you to move more.  The Dynamic Collective is:
- Peluva: reimagining minimalist footwear

- Movemate: Dynamic active standing board

- Smart Playrooms: design and products for active living indoors 

- Correct Toes: anatomic silicone toe spacers

- WIldling: minimal footwear made with natural and sustainable materials 

- Venn Design:  Functional furniture for a balanced life - sit still less and move more