START TODAY
The dangers of sitting

The Dangers of Sitting

If you're like most people, you spend an average of 9 hours a day sitting. It's become increasingly tricky to avoid-especially after the pandemic. Most of us know that sitting is terrible for our posture, yet slumped shoulders and forward head postures have become the norm. Sitting for endless hours week after week is abnormal for the human body. It is not what we were designed to do. While sitting doesn't necessarily sound like something dangerous, it can have adverse effects on our health. Here are a few health issues that can arise if you don't take action:

Increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Sitting for prolonged periods is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This is because sitting can cause an increase in blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing heart disease and stroke.

In addition to increasing your risk of heart disease, sitting also decreases vascular function--specifically in your lower limbs--and increases your likelihood of developing clots (DVT).

It may lower your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight due to insulin resistance

Sitting for long periods may lower your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight due to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a condition where the body's cells become resistant to the effects of insulin, which can lead to type 2 diabetes and obesity. Blood glucose levels have been known to increase after prolonged periods of sitting.

In addition, research has shown that as people age, their muscles start becoming less sensitive (or unresponsive) to the hormone that tells them how much fuel they need--a process called "glucose uptake." This means older people have trouble absorbing nutrients from food and burning calories efficiently through exercise; therefore, they're more likely than younger people to be at risk for developing diabetes or heart disease if they don't stay active enough throughout their lives.

You're more likely to experience back Pain

If you sit for prolonged periods, there's a high chance that you've experienced back pain at some point. When we sit, the muscles in the posterior side of our body become weak, while muscles in the front become tight. Tight muscles pull on the lumbar spine, which can cause pain in your lower back. The glute muscles (which happen to be one of the essential muscle groups) become weak, and muscles in the lower back take over the glutes' job. A combination of weak glutes and a soft core most likely means that your pelvis is out of alignment. This puts you at a higher risk of developing a lower back injury.

It causes poor posture, which can lead to neck pain, headaches and overall fatigue.

Sitting in a slumped position can cause the spine to compress, leading to poor posture. This might be comfortable, but in the long run, sitting this way places significant stress on the spine and other joints and causes wear and tear on spinal discs.

In addition, poor posture can have many adverse side effects, such as migraines, neck pain, joint degeneration, a bloated stomach, poor blood circulation, poor digestion, and more.

Decreased lung capacity

Sitting in a slumped posture all day compresses your chest cavity and restricts your breathing movement. Decreased lung capacity means having a lower chance of combating illnesses such as covid 19. If you have a healthy lung capacity, your body can perform exercise and daily tasks much more efficiently. Increasing your lung capacity will make everyday tasks and exercises less strenuous and much easier to perform.

Can't avoid sitting all day? Here's what you can do instead:

I get it-It can be challenging to avoid sitting all day. It's not like we can stop working, right ?! But don't worry; here are some steps to alleviate and reverse the damage of sitting all day.

1. Get up and walk around once per hour. Studies have shown that getting up and walking around at least once an hour will help to improve vascular function and blood pressure.

2. A stand-up desk or an ergonomically designed chair is better than nothing.

3. Ensure your devices are at eye level and arm's length.

4. The most essential step is adding more physical activity to your weekly routine. Develop a workout routine focusing on strengthening the glutes, core, hips, and back.

In conclusion

Sitting all day is a severe problem, leading to many health issues. If you're sitting for more than two hours a day, it may be time for you to change your work environment or personal life. Implementing one or two tips above may significantly affect your health.

You may also like

READ ARTICLE
READ ARTICLE
Alternative Text
READ ARTICLE
Let's take action
Time to change.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? START TODAY
Book now