Sitting Is The New Smoking

The other day someone who knew I had a standing desk told me that “sitting was the new smoking.” I was not sure that it had quite gotten to that point and then I really started to think about it.

I don’t know many people who just sit around anymore. I know companies that almost never have meetings sitting down because they find they last too long. If you hold a meeting and everyone has to stand the whole time it takes is cut way down because those people who like to talk just to hear themselves are too tired from standing.

I asked my friend Stephanie what she wanted to do to celebrate her birthday and she said take a walk and get a cup of coffee. I presume we won’t sit while enjoying the coffee since we probably could walk and drink at the same time.

I wonder if sitting is going to be something people only do in secret because it is so socially unacceptable to be so lazy just to be sitting? If so, do you think they will do away with seats on buses and subways because everyone will prefer to stand?

Imagine in twenty years watching reruns of the TV show, The Office will people look at it and think, “Oh my god, people used to sit at work” the way we look at Mad Men and think, “Oh my god, people used to smoke and drink at work.”

Will sitting be something people just do for pleasure? Will you go on vacation and just sit or like smoking will most everyone give it up except for the very old who are so addicted to it and why bother giving up such an unhealthy habit as sitting since they are going to die soon anyway.

If sitting really is the new smoking I would not invest in any company making chairs. Do you think I could short chair stocks? I might invest in adult bibs though because standing and eating, let alone walking and eating is a lot messier than sitting.

As much as I stand and walk now I really hope that sitting does not go away completely because it is still one of my favorite things to do. I may be really out of fashion saying that out loud.