Sitting All Day is Killing You
Now that I have your attention… Let’s see, in schools, we sit at desks most of the day. At work, we sit at desks and stare at the computer screens most of the day. Many of us also sit in our cars for hours. Then, after a long day we get home and continue our sitting regimen at our computer or on the couch to watch television, and some of us do both at the same time.
Our bodies are designed to MOVE and I don’t mean just from the couch to the fridge.
As a society we have created this new life of efficiency and convenience to make things “easier” but this new lifestyle is not so good on our bodies. Sitting is rapidly becoming the new smoking. We sit an average of 9.3 hours a day and this much sitting may be as bad as smoking a pack of cigarettes everyday. So what does that mean for the smokers? Just a thought.
Unfortunately it’s a tough cycle to break and all this sitting is Killing us in more ways than one. Let me break down some of the affects long periods of sitting can lead to.
Organ Damage:
HEART DISEASE
Muscles burn less fat and blood flows more sluggish during periods of long sitting, allowing fatty acids to clog the heart more easily. No wonder there has been recent news about prolonged sitting being linked to high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol.
OVER PRODUCTIVE PANCREAS
So we have this organ called the pancreas which produces insulin, a hormone that carries glucose to cells for energy. Our cells in idle muscles don’t respond as readily to the insulin they receive, so the pancreas thinks ok I’ll just produce more. Unfortunately producing more is not making the cells accept any faster and that my friends can lead to diabetes and other diseases.
CANCER
Studies have linked sitting to a greater risk for colon, breast, lung and endometrial cancers. The reason is unclear, but one theory is that excess insulin encourages cell growth. Another is that regular movement boosts natural antioxidants that kill cell-damaging— and potentially cancer-causing — free radicals. The National Cancer Institute confirms that sitting can be fatal, with too much sitting being associated with a 24 percent increased risk of colon cancer, a 32 percent increased risk of endometrial cancer, and a 21 percent increased risk of lung cancer.
Muscle degeneration includes:
MUSHY ABS
When you stand, move or even sit up straight, abdominal muscles are engaged to keep you upright. But when you slump in a chair, they go unused aka to mush. This leads to tight back muscles and weak abs causing a posture-wrecking battle that can exaggerate the spine’s natural arch, a condition called hyperlordosis, or swayback. So for those that complain of low back aches…its not so much about having a bad back you might just need to work on your core!
TIGHT HIPS
Flexible hips help keep you balanced, but due to all the sitting we do, we rarely extend the hip flexor muscles, then they become short and tight, limiting range of motion and stride length. Limited stride length affects how we walk and run. Tight hips and weak abs also lead to swayback because the tight hip flexor muscles pull your hips forward.
LIMP GLUTES
Sitting requires your glutes to do absolutely nothing, and they get used to it. Soft glute muscles hurt your stability, your ability to push off and your ability to maintain a powerful stride. Basically it affects your walking and running abilities, not to mention no one wants a saggy booty! Right ladies.
Leg disorders:
POOR CIRCULATION IN LEGS
Sitting for long periods of time slows blood circulation, which causes fluid to pool in the legs. Problems range from swollen ankles and varicose veins to dangerous blood clots called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). You should make it a habit to wiggle your toes, move your ankles and extend your knees under your desk often.
SOFT BONES
Weight-bearing activities such as walking and running stimulate hip and lower-body bones to grow thicker, denser and stronger. As we age its inevitable that they will degenerate with time. However we don’t want to set ourselves up for weakness too soon. This is especially of concern if we fall or get in an accident. I bet you will take a stairs a bit more now!
Stay tuned for MORE next week on this topic including tips to help you battle the S&M fight! See you soon.
