Why Sitting Too Much Is Slowly Killing You and What You Can Do About It

Sitting down could be killing you slowly. If not, it still could be having some serious health implications.

According to a scientific study, the average person spends more than half of his or her waking hours in an inactive sedentary state (watching TV, commuting to and from work, sitting at a computer, etc).

Sitting too Much Could Be as Bad as Smoking

According to another scientific report, sitting too much can be as harmful as secondhand smoking. The researchers suggest that, in the future, too much sitting might be considered in the same way as have other insidious environmental and behavioral health hazards.

The expert says that “it’s likely that future generations will look back at our sedentary working practices with the same incredulity that we now regard the idea of a smoke-filled office or aeroplane.”

Sitting too Much is Linked to Premature Death

The act of sitting may seem relatively harmless. The average person does it for hours at a time every single day. It’s comfortable, it’s convenient, it allows us to focus on our work or watch some TV shows. But scientific studies found that too much sitting is linked to higher chances of untimely death.

Sitting too Much is Linked to Chronic Diseases

In fact, sitting down for prolonged periods of time is linked to chronic back pain, poor posture, and even potentially deadly diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, and obesity. One  scientific review concluded that sedentary behavior could be related to premature death.

Think of yourself as an animal, because essentially you are. Before civilization there weren’t comfortable recliners to lounge in, computer chairs to spin around the office, or sofas to fall into and waste a day away.

Nearly 150 years ago, people spent nearly 90% of their day moving around. In contemporary society, we lounge on our butts for approximately 60% of the day.

Health Implications of Too Much Sitting

There are many different reasons too much sitting is bad for you, let’s start with some of the basic and obvious ones.

Obesity

Hardly a surprise, but many are torn between the “chicken or the egg” concept here. Some claim that more sitting comes as people gain weight and become obese. Let’s consider the root cause of weight gain, however, to put it in perspective: calorie expenditure. When compared to sitting, standing burns about 160 more calories on a daily basis.

There’s no real nutritional or physical science needed here; simply reducing the time spent sitting will reduce the likeliness of weight gain, especially in a society with such available and unhealthy food.
There has also been research at an Energy Metabolism Laboratory that suggests a link between sitting and an increased appetite. Sitting not only decreases your ability to burn calories, it increases your tendency to consume them.

Heart Health

Sitting makes the muscles in your body calm down and become stagnant. After a few hours the level of healthy cholesterol in your body can drop up to 20%. There has been studies linking males that sit for long periods of the week to a higher risk of death by heart disease.

It has also been suggested that sitting for long periods contributes to a poor overall blood circulation. Fat is more likely to accumulate in the bloodstream and blood glucose levels can become dangerously high. Type 2 diabetes has also been connected with excessive sitting.

Physical Development

Got a lot of back pain? Feel sluggish and tight? Sitting down is far from yoga, and it isn’t doing your body any favors. Too much of it over long periods of time might cause future back problems, especially if done with poor posture. It can also cause pain in your sit bone (also called ischial tuberosity) which is located at the bottom of your pelvis and is the bone that you sit on.

Kidney Disease

Sitting for long periods of time has been linked to the development of kidney disease, according to a study.

“While this study confirms the growing body of literature that supports a link between lifestyle factors and the development of chronic kidney disease, it also adds to the evidence that simply sitting less may have important health benefits.” said lead researcher.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/    

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Scientists Explain What Sitting Too Long Does To Your Body

Today, we live in a world where modern machines do much of our work for us, which greatly eliminates the need for manual labor. Not to mention, over 40 million people have office or sales jobs, forcing them to remain sedentary for eight or more hours a day. 

According to a report published, the average person spends more than half of his or her waking hours in an inactive state (sitting at a computer, watching TV, commuting to and from work, etc).

While technology brings with it obvious benefits, such as getting more done in less time, consolidating our efforts, and connecting us to others at lightning speeds, it has many drawbacks, as well. 

Sitting down for prolonged periods of time can cause problems such as chronic back pain, poor posture, and even potentially deadly diseases such as diabetes, heart attack and obesity. 


  If you spend a lot of time sitting down for your job, take a look at the specifics of how this can negatively impact your health, according to four experts in the industry: 
Brain, Neck, And Shoulder Issues
Moving our bodies means more blood and oxygen flowing throughout the brain, which helps us maintain clarity and keeps our minds sharp. However, by sitting for long periods of time, this slows the flow of oxygen and blood to our brains, inhibiting our ability to think clearly.

Also, slumping forward at work to stare at a computer screen puts tremendous strain on the neck, particularly the cervical vertebrae, which connects the spine to your head. Poor posture also damages the back and shoulder muscles, as they become overextended due to leaning over a keyboard for long periods of time.

Back Problems
One of the most apparent problems occurs for most people in their backs, as bad posture contributes greatly to back pain, inflexible spines, and disk damage. Moving around causes soft disks between vertebrae in the spine to expand and contract, allowing blood and nutrients in. By sitting too long, the disks become uneven and compact, even causing collagen to build up around tendons and ligaments.
Also, herniated lumbar disks occur more frequently in people who spend prolonged periods of time in front of a computer.

Muscle Degeneration
Sitting doesn’t require the use of your ab muscles, and if they go unused for too long, this can actually cause you to develop what’s called swayback, or the unnatural over-extension of the spine’s natural arch. Plus, sitting too long decreases overall flexibility, particularly in the hips and back. Flexible hips aid in balancing the body, but by sitting too long, the hip flex or muscles become short and tense. 

The glute muscles also become soft after prolonged periods of disuse, and this hinders your ability to take long strides and keep the body stable.

Deterioration of Organs
Remaining seated for long periods of time can cause heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and colon cancer. In short, these problems are caused by the overproduction of insulin due to inactivity, and sluggish blood flow to the organs. Regular movement helps kill cancer-causing cells, boosting antioxidants that eliminate these free radicals from taking over the body. 

Overproduction of insulin also causes weight gain, which contributes to diabetes and obesity. 

Leg Disorders
Obviously, sitting too long will hinder circulation in the legs. This causes blood to pool around the ankles, which then results in swollen ankles, varicose veins, and even harmful blood clots. Another more subtle issue caused by prolonged sitting is that bones become weaker and less dense. Regular activity, such as running or walking, helps keep bones strong and thick. This might explain why so many elderly people today have osteoporosis, as society becomes more and more sedentary.

According to the study, people who watched the most TV over the span of 8.5 years had a 61% greater risk of dying a premature death compared to those who watched less than one hour per day.

So, how can we combat this growing epidemic of inactivity? 

 First of all, if you DO have to sit for long periods of time for work or other purposes, make sure you sit up straight and avoid slouching or leaning over your keyboard. If you have to, buy an exercise ball, which forces your ab muscles to work and will naturally keep your body straight. You can also use a backless stool if you want something a little more stable than an exercise ball.

Secondly, make sure to get up regularly to stretch. How often should you do this? At least once every thirty minutes, according to experts. Get up and walk around your office for a few minutes as well, which will keep the blood flowing and allow your brain and muscles to function optimally.

Thirdly, yoga can help immensely with keeping the muscles flexible and allowing the mind to relax and decompress from the work day. You can also buy a standing work desk, which will force you to do your work in an upright position. This helps blood and oxygen flow more freely through the body, reducing the risk of blood clots and other dangerous health problems.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                            PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   

 
FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                                https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                              

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