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It's hard to believe that something as simple and effortless as sitting can be dangerous to your health, but then again all good things must be enjoyed in moderation—and moderation is certainly not the order of today.
With increasing numbers of people working desk jobs from home or attending school online, the amount of time spent sitting also increases. We all know a sedentary lifestyle is bad, but did you know that sitting for extensive amounts of time actually leads to various chronic illnesses and a shorter life expectancy? Even worse, you could be exercising seven or eight hours a week but still suffer the same effects if you're sitting for long periods!
But don't worry: there are various simple, quick, and versatile stretches and techniques you can implement into your daily schedule that can help counteract the detrimental effects of prolonged sitting. Click through to learn more about why it's important, and what you can start doing today.
First of all, the more you sit, the less aerobic exercise you get, and there is a dangerously high amount of people who are not getting the recommended amount of movement for a healthy body.
The World Health Organization now lists "insufficient physical activity" as a leading risk factor for preventable mortality. According to Better Health, physical inactivity contributes to over three million preventable deaths worldwide each year (which is 6% of all deaths).
Sitting and inactivity are associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, blood clots, Alzheimer's disease, excess body fat around the waist, abnormal cholesterol levels, metabolic syndrome, and mortality.
An analysis of 13 studies that looked at sitting time and activity levels found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity faced risks of death similar to those posed by obesity and smoking, Mayo Clinic reports.
If you’re sitting for seven hours a day then going to the gym for an hour afterward, you’re not escaping the effects. Of course exercise puts you in a better position, but the key is really to break up the long stretches of sitting.
Extended sitting also puts huge stress on your back muscles, joints, and spine, which affects your posture and then snowballs into even worse stress on your body.
Data collected by the US Department of Health and Human Services found that sedentariness was increasing way before the pandemic: in 2008 the average was 5.7 hours of sitting a day, and by 2016 it increased to 6.4 hours per day.
Stand up! Research suggests that just brief periods of standing can be beneficial throughout the day, but specifically to break up the hours of sitting.
Squatting or kneeling are also great positions that counteract the effects of prolonged sitting, as they get your blood flowing and strengthen and stretch those hip flexors.
Physiotherapist Leslie J. Waltke recommends the 30-by-30 rule, which advises people to stand up for at least 30 seconds, every 30 minutes.
Get an exercise ball to sit on, or get rid of a chair entirely with a standing desk! If you’re working in an office, try walking meetings and always take the stairs.
The following are physiotherapist-approved stretches to improve range of motion, relieve tightness, and prevent muscle loss. You should do five to 10 repetitions of each, one to four times a day, and they can easily be done at your desk.
Slowly and only as far as you're comfortable, rotate your neck left, then right, and then up and down.
Simply bringing your shoulders up and back down, then in circles forward and backward can release tension.
Reach both arms up and slowly rotate your spine to the left and to the right. Then facing forward, side bend to the left and right, again going slowly.
Place your hands on the small of your back and gently bend your spine backward. Imagine your chest rising upwards.
Hold the following for about 20-30 seconds, up to four repetitions each, and only with a moderate pull sensation. Relief should be immediate.
Sit or lie down, and gently bring one knee to your chest, and hold.
Sit down, gently bend forward, and touch the floor between your feet. You should feel your lower back. The next level is incorporating your hamstrings as you stand and reach for the floor.
Sit on the ground, place your right foot over your left knee, and pull your right knee toward your left shoulder with your left arm. You'll feel it in your glutes! Repeat on the other side.
Stand a bit away from a chair, for instance, and rest your hands on the back while bending forward at the waist to stretch your lower back and hamstring muscles.
If you can't grab your ankle behind you, you can also put your right foot on a chair placed behind you, then bend that right knee to feel the pull in the front of the thigh. Repeat on both sides.
When you sit for long periods of time, your muscles weaken. Doing 10-30 reps of these exercises, one to four times a day, just three times per week, can help maintain your muscles.
While standing, rise onto your toes, hold, then lower. For an added challenge, you can use an elevated platform for a deeper dip, or go one foot at a time.
With your legs shoulder-distance apart, squat down backwards so that your knees don't pass your toes, then hold and rise back up while engaging your glutes.
Stand a couple feet away from a wall and place your hands against it just below chest level. Keeping your body straight, lower your nose to the wall, hold, and push back out again.
Stand on one foot for 15 seconds, then repeat on the other leg.
Sources: (Better Health) (Mind Body Green) (Mayo Clinic) (Web MD)
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HEALTH Tips
It's hard to believe that something as simple and effortless as sitting can be dangerous to your health, but then again all good things must be enjoyed in moderation—and moderation is certainly not the order of today.
With increasing numbers of people working desk jobs from home or attending school online, the amount of time spent sitting also increases. We all know a sedentary lifestyle is bad, but did you know that sitting for extensive amounts of time actually leads to various chronic illnesses and a shorter life expectancy? Even worse, you could be exercising seven or eight hours a week but still suffer the same effects if you're sitting for long periods!
But don't worry: there are various simple, quick, and versatile stretches and techniques you can implement into your daily schedule that can help counteract the detrimental effects of prolonged sitting. Click through to learn more about why it's important, and what you can start doing today.