Between working, the commute to and from work, and simply being exhausted at the end of the day, sitting is relatively commonplace for many people throughout the day. Add in long road trips or working from home and you have more sitting than most know how to manage. The problem is that many people are unaware of what the dangers that can result with this seemingly harmless habit. Not only does too much sitting increase your chances of death as many as 15 years sooner, but it also increases the chances that you will face numerous diseases.
Your Body Struggles Starting the Moment You Sit Down
Many people think that you only get the negative effects of sitting when you sit too long; however, the negative effects actually begin as soon as you are in a seated position. Your body begins to slow down, and even shut down, as soon as your rear touches the seat. Your body stops sending the same kind of electrical pulses down your legs, causing circulation to slow. Your body immediately starts storing the food you eat as fat, and you can quickly gain weight. Plus, while seated, your body is only burning 1 calorie per minute!
After just an hour or two, your body’s good cholesterol can go down by as much as 20%, and the risk you will suffer from diabetes goes up. The effectiveness of your body’s natural insulin decreases by as much as 24%, just by sitting for two hours, which is common for most people with desk jobs. If you have a job where you sit down, your risk for heart disease doubles.
This means that you have two times the risk of coming down with cardiovascular disease AND an increased risk of death, compared to someone with an “active” job.
Saving Your Life Comes with Choices You Make
If you want to be able to bypass the dangers of sitting all the time, you need to make the choice to move around. Instead of only sitting in one spot all day long, get up and walk around for a few minutes each hour. Stand up and stretch a few times a day. Do a couple of jumping jacks, or march or jog in place for a few minutes each hour. Get your blood flowing, and keep it that way for a few minutes. If you have a desk job, stand up to do it some of the time, and lean over your desk to keep working. The more active you can be during those hours of minimal activity, the healthier your body will be because of it.
If working at home, get up and move around. Do some chores. Stand while working when possible. Just don’t stay still for long periods. When you are driving for vacation, use rest stops even if you don’t need to use the bathroom. Walk around a bit and stretch your legs and back. Car seats are notoriously bad for posture and in some ways cause more problems than office chairs.
Don’t let affect your daily activities, or even shorten your lifespan. Make the choice to get up and get active.
Come in and get a check up with us, we’d love to give you more tips on how to avoid back issues this summer!