Sitting can be harmful to your health! More studies are showing that sitting for hours at a time is a health risk regardless of what you do with the rest of your day. Stand up, it could save your life!
Researchers have linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome. Too much sitting also seems to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Sitting in front of the TV isn’t the only concern. Any extended sitting-such as behind a desk at work or behind the wheel-can be harmful. What’s more, spending a few hours a week at the gym or otherwise engaged in moderate or vigorous activity doesn’t seem to significantly offset the risk. Rather, the solution seems to be less sitting and more moving overall. You can start by simply standing rather than sitting whenever you have the chance.
Some of the health risks of sitting include: high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol, and people with the most sedentary time are more than twice as likely to have cardiovascular disease. Studies have linked sitting to a greater risk for colon, breast, and endometrial cancers. Regular movement boosts natural antioxidants that kill cell-damaging-and potentially cancer causing-free radicals. When you stand, move or even sit up straight, abdominal muscles keep you upright. But when you slump in a chair, they go unused causing tightness in back muscles and weakness in abs which leads to back pain. People who sit more also have tightness in their hips which leads to problems with walking and can increase your risks of falls. Sitting for long periods of time slows blood circulation in the legs. When we are sedentary for a long time, everything slows, including brain function. If most of your sitting occurs at a desk at work, craning your neck forward toward a keyboard or tilting your head to cradle a phone while typing can strain your neck. Sitting also puts increased compression and strain on our discs in the spine leading to increased risk of herniated discs. This picture shows the “right way” to sit! Even when sitting with good posture, remember to get up and move around frequently to prevent problems.
Contact the physical therapists at Campbell Therapy Center at 731-641-8111, for your physical therapy appointment, with further questions or if you are having pain. We are here to help you!