Fatal chair | Mohammed Al-Ahmadi | TEDxRiyadh

Many diseases are linked to sitting for long time.

An academic researcher in " king Saud University", who is interested in physical activity and healthy nutrition, my goal is to change the inactive behavior in society to a healthy and active behavior.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Today, my real role is to persuade you
that the chair you are sitting on

is a "fatal chair"!

And that chair is not a dear friend
but a bitter enemy.

It differes!

I want to take you with me in a journey
to Australia!

Who wants to go?
Everyone, I know.

I have spent seven years
in this college in Australia.

But let me tell you what happened
in my first two months in the college.

This is my office.

If I wanted to print a paper
I order a print

then I have to leave the office

get out from the building

go to another building

in that building there's a room
for copying and printing

I take the paper and go back to my office
grouchy!

Why don't I have a printer?
I'm a PhD student!

I'm a scholar! I want a print!

It's impossible!
This is a poor college!

You know when a Saudi gets angry!

Instantly, I send a letter to the boss,

that I want a printer!

There're 5 Australian PhD students
with me,

didn't have any problem with that!

They said to me,
"Muhamed, this is good for your health!"

You're making an effort,
by leaving the chair.

I replied, "No talk for health

tell me how to get a printer!

I want a printer!"

They brought me a printer, I was happy.

but after a while

I had pains in my lower back
due to sitting for long periods

and I didn't figure out

that the real cause was the chair!

Firstly, we all know the danger of drugs

secondly, smoking.

thirdly, alcohol.

fourth, the chair you're sitting on
it right now!

before and then and all the time.

We're sitting every where.

If we follow the steps of the cave man

passing by the agrarian age
then the industrial age

Man never sit down

Man never sit except in the present time.

The time of computer, Internet,
and mobile phone.

So we're sitting now everywhere.

Smoking isn't the unhealthiest
thing anymore.

It's sitting which becomes more dangerous.

yes, It's said that sitting for too long

is the new smoking of our era.

Disaster! Why?

Because there are many diseases
linked to sitting.

That's its name.

Medically, it's called sitting disease.

Heart diseases, osteoporosis, obesity,
early death

Diabetes, high blood pressure.

Shall I keep counting?

There is more than thirty
or forty diseases linked to sitting.

I can't tell you all of them
otherwise I'll stay till the day ends.

Now if we have a dinner tonight
a fatty dinner.

Fats and sugars.

Something like the open buffet.

Are we going to be fat tomorrow?

Of course not, we won't be obese.

But if we live on this bad
dietary behavior

for everyday for year, two years,
three... ten years.

Of course we'll be fat
because of that behavior.

Same thing with sitting.

If we sit for twenty four hours on a chair

We won't be ill with those diseases.

But if that becomes our behavior

sitting everyday

for a year, two years, three,
five, ten years

of course we'll be ill,
at least one disease of sitting diseases.

We shouldn't accept that.

It's been ten years,
since we got to world cup of football.

Right?

Saudi Arabia Kingdom is the third
globally in physical inactivity

This is a report by Lancet magazine
one of the famous medical magazines.

Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia comes first in
high BP, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis.

These diseases.. what we call them?

Sitting diseases.

We sit in home, college,
car and in school.

Even in playground, 22 players
watched by 60,000 spectators!

Beside that millions of spectators
watching the TV.

Watching but not practicing!

What a kind of world!

The scientific recommendation

which I keep repeating for 20 years
twenty years.

This scientific recommendation says

everybody should practice an activity
for 30 minutes to prevent heart diseases.

In fact, the situation changed.

2 or 3 years ago, scientific studies
claimed that 30 mins. isn't enough

for prevention of heart diseases

The real question is
what are you doing all the day?

30 minutes and then sit all the day! No

If we spend our time
sitting in front of TV

on the internet

using electronic devices

then it doesn't matter
if you exercise or not.

You're liable for heart diseases,
and this's a disaster.

Do you think that only ordinary people
are physically inactive?

Indeed not.

This's a study that we've made about
football players

of one of Riyadh capital's clubs.

which was published in an international
meeting in Santiago - America.

To figure the percentage of players'
physical inactivity

77% of them were inactive spending
the rest of the day

watching TV, on the Internet,
using mobiles, playing video games.

So physical inactivity is common among
people and players which is a problem.

"Doctor you've terrified us" you said.

In fact we must be.

But the good news
is the solution is very easy.

The solution needs a simple change
in our lives.

There's a rule which I call
"Active and healthy life" rule.

Changing our behavior

8+1+15 equals?

24

what do I mean by 24?

24 hours, all of us have 24 hours

even you who points 23 not 24, it's 24.

Let's calculate it - I was kidding
with him - let's divide the 24 hours

8 hours for sleep at night
at night not the morning

8 hours is a healthy behavior not laziness

one hour for physical activity

any physical activity walking,
jogging, biking, swimming

any activity that you like
and practicing it everyday

is perfect.

For the rest of the day, the rest of
the 24 hours. we've got 15hrs, what to do?

This is the active behavior in life.

You should shorten time of sitting.

you should shorten the time of sitting

by shorting the time spent on Internet
mobile, video games.

We should increase the everyday physical
activity in our lives.

Like: going upstairs, walking to masjid
walking in the college, walking in school

housework, house business
specially this part is perfect.

Cleaning the floor, walls
the kitchen, working on house garden.

These things need a very high energy
and is so important.

We should stop focusing on this area.

This part isn't made for sitting on it.

We must shift our focus from
this upper square to... the lower one.

We must use the feet.

Physiologically and anatomically

God's created feet for walk,
movement, and standing.

Brothers and sisters, physical inactivity
is a behavior.

Smoking kid'll be a smoker in the future.

Obese child'll be an obese man
when he grow up.

Same thing with physical inactivity.

Inactive kid who sits all the time

will be inactive adult who sits
for too long in the future.

We must change our life
and our environment.

Active environment helps us.

At homes, schools, universities,
work places and everywhere.

We must change these environments.

How?

These are some western examples.

Some people get rid of round tables

and replaced them
by walk and talk meetings.

Why?

Innovation, creativity,
making right decision

all are better while walking not sitting.

Scientific proof?

I'll give one.

Now, on the left an image of brain
after a period of sitting.

Now, let's compare it to a brain image
after walking for 20 minutes.

Look at green, red and yellow areas.

This is an evidence of increased
brain cells' activity.

So, creativity and making the right
decisions happening during walking

are better than those while sitting.

Exams are soon, who wants to study should
study walking or you'll sleep sitting.

I recommend that.

Some people have got rid of classic desks
which we called " inactive desks"

what you see here is an active desk.

Conveyor belt
attached to a desk with a computer

which enables the person to sit for 8 hrs
through slow walking.

Also, there is a fixed bicycle
attached to this active desk.

Some schools, have got rid of chairs
and replaced them by medical balls

These balls require balance.

That balance make most of back, abdominal
and feet muscles do efforts all the time

This is a library where they've
replaced chairs with medical balls.

Moreover, there're schools in west
have no chairs at all.

Schools with no chairs at all.

Students are taking their lessons
standing on feet.

These students are young.

Now, it's you're turn.

This is you're turn.

If scientific studies
couldn't convince you...

Can I ask everybody, now, men and women
to stand up, please?

To stand for the rest of the talk
and you'll feel the difference.

I ask you to stand, please.
All of you, yes all of you.

Best scene I saw in my life, not sure how
many of you here as I can't see everything

God blesses.

Well, I've given you
western examples till now.

Can we Saudi people change our traits?

Who is it in pictures?

This is Saudi man. Me wearing headband
to prove that I'm Saudi and I can change.

This is my office in
King's Saud university with no chair

even my lectures, I give them standing.

(Applause)

My students listening to me
in the standing position.

If they were here,
they would prove me true.

This is my desk at home.

Of course there is no chair,
only the conveyor belt.

Now, I'm working 8 hrs
with a speed less than 2 km\hr.

I am an active man.

This is my desk at home and this
conveyor belt cost me less than 1000 Rial.

A simple change makes me active.

(Applause)

My youngest daughter, 1st grade, insisted

to come to prove to everybody
that she can get rid of the fatal chair

and that she can use computer
on foot, too.

(Applause)

We always wonder, why some people

- some inactive people -
eat more but never get obese?

someone always eat at night but still thin
while if I smell the food I gain weight?

What makes them thin
without any physical activity?

Science magazine, one of the best medical
journal in the world,answers this question

as they searched for a group
of a very lazy people

divided them into 2 groups
obese group, which is normal result.

Physical inactivity leads to obesity.

But what is abnormal is the second group.

Non-obese thin people

who are very inactive.

Valued their daily physical activity
every movement.

For ten consecutive days
with precise devices.

Here is the result, in front of you.

Sitting time, and standing time
sitting in white and standing green

Note that obese sit more.

But non-obese stands more like you now.

Well, then what they've done?

They measured the difference in energy
between obese and non-obese.

They found that 352 calories
were consumed by standing.

Is this considered as high or low energy?

Let's convert it to physical activity.

These 352 calories
equals 42 minutes of running a day,

or 72 minutes walking
i.e one hour and 12 minutes.

The study concluded that

Standing energy makes the skinny, skinny.

I always wonder -
This question puzzles me.

Why is domestic worker skinny
comparing to anyone else?

Not only women but men, as well.

For example, the driver comparing
to his employer -

Somethings have progressed and others
regressed which makes me out of my mind.

Obesity is omnipresent.

Finally, I want to remind you and myself
about " Healthy active behavior rule"

Yes he can change, yes she can change.

Yes, we all can change our behavior
from laziness to active

and apply the
"Healthy and active life rule",

8 hours sleep, one hour of physical
activity, 15 hours doing some active work

Thank you,
Thanks TEDxRiyadh.

(Applause)