While technology has made our lives easier, it keeps us sitting for longer periods of our days than we used to. And our bodies are not happy with this. All the time we spend in a chair or on a sofa can have unhealthy consequences, and the more time we are sitting, the greater those consequences can be.
Too much sitting is a significant risk factor for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Medical research has created a new area of study called inactivity physiology.
Our bodies are affected on a metabolic level when we don't move around enough. Circulation slows down and less calories are burned. Enzymes that would normally burn fat in the form of triglycerides begin to shut down.
When you don't move around much, you use less blood sugar, and over time your chances of diabetes increases. Enzymes that would normally regulate blood fats stop doing their job, and you become more vulnerable to heart disease. When blood flow is reduced, you have a reduced number of hormones coursing through your brain that would otherwise keep depression at bay.
When you sit for too long, hamstrings and hip flexors become shorter and they tighten up. Muscles that normally support your spine are weakened and less flexible. This increases your risk for low back pain and poor posture.
Research has shown that the women who were less thick around the middle and had lower body mass index (BMI) were more likely to also be women who took breaks by standing up and moving around. These women were also more likely to have better blood sugar and blood fat levels.
Exercise may seem like the logical solution, but unless you also spend substantially less time sitting, working out will not cancel out the deterioration. Activities not usually associated with exercise like toe-tapping, laundry-folding, and sex can lower your risks from sitting. Even fidgeting if you do enough of it can make a difference.
Neville Owen, Ph.D. of the University of Queensland recommended getting out of your chair every half hour and moving around for a few minutes. He suggested standing for some of your daily activities that you usually do while seated. Talk on the phone on your feet. Set up your computer so that you can read email or even write them while you are standing.
Walk while you're thinking, or walk with a friend while you're having a conversation, or without conversing. Spend some of your sitting time on a stability ball instead of a chair. Sitting on a ball requires constant involvement of muscles for balance. If you want to watch TV, consider doing it from your stationary bike or treadmill.
Jody Smith is a freelance writer for Empowher.com
Sources:
Your Body's Biggest Enemy
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/sedentary-lifestyle-hazards
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/sedentary-lifestyle-hazards?page=2
Excessive sitting linked to premature death in women
Sitting Too Much May Shave Years Off Our Lives
http://women.webmd.com/news/20120709/sitting-too-much-may-shave-years-off-lives
Prolonged sitting may increase women's diabetes risk
Related Links:
Stand Up and Add Years To Your Life
http://www.empowher.com/obesity/content/stand-and-add-years-your-life
An Inactive Lifestyle: A Global Health Problem
http://www.empowher.com/wellness/content/inactive-lifestyle-global-health-problem
Diabetes and Healthy Fundraising Walks
http://www.empowher.com/diabetes/content/diabetes-and-healthy-fundraising-walks
