Whether at home or in the office, we spend a great deal of time working. For many, this comes with long hours of sitting. Did you know there are dangers to sitting for prolonged periods of time? Three dangers will be discussed below.

Moving Around for Better Health

1. Many people are mindful of their weight and want to prevent weight gain. Moving your muscles, instead of sitting for hours at a time or living a sedentary lifestyle, helps your body digest the fats and sugars you eat. Sitting for longer periods of time does the exact opposite, it can cause you to retain fats and sugars as fat in your body. Metabolic syndrome, a collection of conditions that often occur together and increase your risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease, can also develop from sitting for too long.

Staying in your chair for infinite amounts of time can put you at risk for anxiety and depression. 

2. If you sit for a long period of time, your hips and back will likely suffer. Sitting causes your hip flexor muscles to shorten and, if left unchecked, can lead to problems with your hip joints. Back problems can especially occur if you consistently sit with poor posture, slump in your chair, or do not use an ergonomically designed chair or workstation. Poor posture can also cause poor spine health such as compression in the discs in your spine, which can lead to premature degeneration.

3. There are links between sitting and mental health. Staying in your chair for infinite amounts of time can put you at risk for anxiety and depression. In fact, the risk of anxiety and depression is higher in people who sit more. One plausible explanation could be that people who sit longer are not receiving the positive effects of physical activity and fitness. If you sit longer without taking breaks, there is an easy fix, just get moving.

Taking Time for Better Health

With ongoing tasks, it is easy to forget to get up from your chair. But, with the mounting research about how sitting for too long can compromise your health, it is important not to do so. Simply set a reminder to take a break from sitting. Here’s to staying healthy!

Sources:

– https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/the-dangers-of-sitting;

– https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/metabolic-syndrome;

– https://www.brownhealth.org/be-well/posture-and-how-it-affects-your-health.