Sitting Too Much - Sitting Too Long - Why Is Sitting Bad For You?
Are you sitting too much?
In this video I discuss some of the effects of sitting too much, a sedentary lifestyle, and some of the ways to deal with sitting too long. I also discuss why sitting is bad, and how it can affect your health.
Notes
Sitting too much and sedentary lifestyle.
Are you sitting your way to health issues? For the past couple of years study after study is being presented showing many harmful effects that so much sitting is causing.
Sitting for long hours has been linked to poor mental health, increased risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and a higher risk of becoming disabled. Sitting for long periods of time causes muscles to burn less energy and slows blood flow and circulation, increasing the risk of developing blood clots. One research experiment showed that prolonged sitting actually triggers many people to eat more.
It is even being shown that so much sitting is taking away the benefits of regular exercise. So, even if you run for an hour, it may not be able to undo the damage of sitting for 8 hours at a desk. Many health care professionals put it like this, does exercise take care of a bad night of sleep? Then, why would it take care of sitting all day?
Agricultural workers average sitting only about 3 hours per day, the typical office worker is in a sitting position for an average of 13 hours throughout their day, add in another 8 hours of sleep, and bam, 21 of 24 hours are being spent in a sedentary position, decreasing caloric energy use, slowing blood circulation in the body, not requiring joints to go through range of motions, and developing terrible posture. It is estimated that agricultural workers can burn up to 1000 calories more per day than a typical office worker.
So, sitting too much is bad, but, what the heck, we drive, we work at a desk, we watch TV, we are always sitting, what can be done? Well, actually a lot.
Be aware of how much you are sitting, and consciously take steps to change the situation. If you are at a desk all day, set your phone alarm every half hour, and take a couple of minutes to stand up and walk around.
If you are watching TV, when the commercial comes on, that’s your alarm to stand up and walk around. Increase non exercise activity, meaning, just increase your physical movement throughout the day by taking a walk and listening to some tunes, run errands, we all have a to do list that never seems to end, work in the yard, clean the house, pick up an interest or hobby that doesn’t involve a lot of sitting, basically increase the amount of movement in your day.
While it may seem like it’s all doom and gloom when it comes to sitting, there are times when it is beneficial to health. Sitting and socializing with friends and family, and sitting and relaxing after a stressful day can be beneficial to mental health.
As with everything in life, it is about moderation.
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:10 Harmful effects of sitting for long hours
1:32 What can be done to combat so much sitting?
