Believe it or not, Sitting All Day IS Bad for you, yes really. You eat healthy, go to the gym five days a week, put in a full productive day at work and make sure to get your beauty sleep; (1) but are you doing everything you can for overall wellness and health? (2) Research has found that most people, even with good habits in place, are suffering from many medical conditions which can be linked to sitting in excess of 10 hours per day.
Technological advancements have given us the convenience of sitting during our commutes to work, sitting at a desk for work as well as sitting to socialize and the surf the web. Historically, we were active because of necessity: walking to work, manual labor, tending our home and crops; our bodies are not made to rest for such long periods of time.
Experts have described numerous health conditions which are linked to the amount of time one spends sitting as part of their daily routine.
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Exactly Why Sitting All Day Is Bad For You and Your Health?
When you are not using your muscles your brain tells your body to slow down your metabolism. Sitting will burn only one calorie per minute versus walking which burns three, when the large leg muscles are not in use you can see an increase in blood sugar levels and a decrease in the muscles stored energy leading to obesity, cardiovascular diseases and increased risks for cancer. (3)
Exercising daily is not enough to keep your muscles active and avoid the effects of prolonged sitting. There are several adaptations we can make in our daily life to increase our activity.
Office Workers tend to have positions which require them to be at a desk, sitting for long periods of time. Two items which many offices are changing now is their perspective on standing desks and ergonomic chairs or exercise balls to replace traditional office furniture. If your workspace cannot accommodate these changes then remember to sit up straight. (4)
We were all scolded for slouching in school or at the dinner table but for good reason. Sitting tall, not leaning forward, with arms close to sides, shoulders relaxed and feet flat on floor is the best way to alleviate neck, back and spine issues.
Improper posture, slouching, when sitting can cause sore shoulders and back caused by forward overextension of these muscles; strained neck from improper vertebrae alignment; herniated lumbar disks. Proper foot positioning can aid in reducing leg disorders such as poor circulation, swollen ankles and varicose veins.
It is also a good idea to keep as active as possible while in the office. Take frequent water breaks; this will allow you additional time during the day to stand and walk, increasing blood flow. Try using a smaller cup so you are more likely to get up frequently to stay hydrated. This can help with muscle degeneration from inactivity and help to keep hip flexor muscles loose to maintain good range of motion and hip mobility.
If you really want to take your health and wellness to the next level, don’t just drink tap or bottled water – but save some money and invest in YOURSELF with the turapur water pitcher.
Computers and telephones make it easy to communicate with co-workers but try walking to other’s desks or offices instead to help get you moving. If you work in a large office building you can also skip the elevator, but start small, don’t try and run up 15 flights of stairs your first day. Maybe walk up or down two flights of stairs at first; then take the elevator the rest of the way.
The number one culprit of prolonged sitting and inactivity is television. One study, “Amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors and cause-specific mortality in U.S. adults,” by Charles E. Matthews, was conducted over an 8 ½ year period and found that people who watched more than seven hours of television per day increased their mortality rates by 61% over people who had on average only one hour of television viewing per day. (5)
As the study show, this consumes a large amount of people’s time. If you have a favorite TV shows you just can’t miss watch it while walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike. You can also use commercial breaks to stand up and walk in place to increase blood and oxygen flow through the muscles and brain.
Researchers and doctors will tell you the plan is to try other activities that will keep your body in motion; play outside with your kids, walk the dog, clean your house a little every day instead of designating one whole day to chores.
Modern conveniences such as vacuum cleaners and leaf blowers have also reduced the time we spend doing tasks around the house. Try broom sweeping your floors and drive way to get more motion into your day.
Asides from changes at work and at home we can even make small adjustments to commuting and travel, whether by car, bus or train. Next time you are driving park a little farther away; instead of right in front of work or a store, park at the far end of a lot or around the corner and you will have given yourself an additional chance walk more and keep active. If you ride the bus or train get off one, two or even three stops earlier.
These small changes to your daily routing will have lasting effects on your overall health and ward off more serious health concerns such as cardiovascular and heart disease, like high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels. Prolonged sitting can also cause an over productive pancreas which increases insulin production, a trigger for developing diabetes. The excess insulin also encourages cell growth while
The excess insulin also encourages cell growth while lack of movement reduces the natural antioxidants our bodies produce to kill a cell’ damaging free radicals, putting one at greater risk for breast and endometrial cancers.
Now that you know why sitting all day is bad for you, start with small changes and you will notice how it improves your overall health.