Negative Effects of Prolonged Sitting

If your job requires you to sit in front of a desk or in front of a computer for a long period of time every day, 7 days a week, most likely you are living a sedentary life and this might be bad for your health.

In the following post by Ms. Alice G. Walton, a Forbes contributor, she explains that we are putting ourselves at higher risk of mortality because of our inactive lifestyle:

Longer Bouts Of Sitting Linked To Greater Risk Of Death, Study Finds

By this point, most people are aware of the connection between being sedentary and dying earlier. If that’s not enough of a problem, it also seems that long hours sitting isn’t totally offset by activity: A study a couple of years ago found that even people who exercise, if they sit a lot otherwise, are still at greater risk of mortality.

 And a new study in Annals of Internal Medicine builds on the growing body of evidence against sitting, finding that being sedentary for longer chunks of time, unpunctuated by getting up and about, may be just as bad as sitting for more hours total. Read the rest of the story here.

Yay! This may sound bad news for people who work at the office and sitting all day, just like me. I may not be working at the office literally but I work in front of my computer more or less than 8 hours a day.

If you do not change your lifestyle, you could end up acquiring one of the several deadly ailments linked to long sitting hours, just like what the next post by NDTV Food Desk is saying:

Do You Have a Sitting Job? You May Have A Higher Risk of Heart Disease!

You may have already heard that sitting is the new smoking or even cancer. Spending a large chunk of your day sitting with not enough physical activity is the newest health concern that has had everyone worried. If you spend most of the day sitting, especially those who have desk jobs coupled with high levels of stress, you could be inviting the risk of several ailments – from obesity to diabetes and even heart disease. Click here for more info.

Aside from those deadly diseases, you might also be bothered by different unbearable pains such as back pain (which I have experienced already), shoulder pain and neck pain which are also caused by long hours of sitting.

In the following video, Dr. Jeff Touchet of The Joint Chiropractic, speaks to WACH-Fox in Columbia, South Carolina, about the negative results of prolonged sitting to your spine and suggesting some helpful tips and simple exercises that you can do at work, school or at home:

Watch the video on YouTube here.

 In addition to these tips, you can also make some adjustments to your daily routine, just like what Rita Winters is talking about in the next article which is submitted to Natural News Network:

Too much time sitting causes body fat to accumulate around your organs, increasing risk of disease

People should consider engaging in physical activities that involve groups of people to motivate them to keep active on a regular basis. Not everyone has the luxury of time for working out, but you can still break a sweat by making slight modifications to your daily routine. Besides, it’s fun to change routine every now and then, especially if you don’t want to be stuck in a rut.

• Instead of riding a car, walk.

• Bike instead of drive.

• Use the stairs instead of an escalator or elevator.

• Do five half-squats after every hour of sitting down at the office.

• Stretch your limbs every 30 minutes or so, and do neck rotations too.

• Opt for standing tables instead of sit-downs when dining at the office pantry.

• Cook your own meals instead of buying microwaveable dishes.

• Put your treadmill in front of the television, run (or walk) when your favorite series comes on. Read more.

Now you know about the dangerous effects that prolonged sitting does to your health and the different diseases that this can cause you. These may sound scary but these can also be prevented. There's no need to leave the job that you love. Just don't stress too much. Be happy. You can go to the doctor or chiropractor if you like. Make yourself active and follow the helpful advices and tips of the experts. And you'll be fine.


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