With technology slowly permeating several corners of the world, there is a worrying pattern emerging now. More and more people are sitting for too long for their jobs and recreational purposes. The social media and the OTT platforms have ensured that we spend most of the time lying or sitting on the couch. Are you aware that this repeating pattern can cause permanent damages to your body? The effects are so harmful that you probably must have heard of the popular saying “Sitting is the new smoking!” This means, the risk of dying from sitting is as great as the risk of dying from smoking.
This article explores what really are the effects of prolonged sitting.
How long is too long?
‘Sitting too long’ means spending more than 6 hours of a day in the seated position. People who spend a lot of time sitting are prone to heart diseases and bone diseases. Weight problems surface for both men and women. Along with obesity, come a host of other obesity related problems, the most basic of which is disrupted sleep patterns. Your metabolism slows down and digestion is a struggle. Menstruation cycles get affected by this sedentary lifestyle. Certain cancers are also strongly related to this.
Our body is a huge mega system with many interdependent mini-systems. So if one function is getting affected, it technically means placing a strain on a lot of other functions and organs as well.
According to the organization ‘Juststand’ , you fall under medium risk category if you sit for 4-8 hours everyday. Anything more than that is a high-risk category.
What happens to your body when you are sitting for too long?
Discomfort
The very first sign is the body discomfort. It could be strain, pain or cramps especially in the
- Neck
- Lower back
- Arms and legs
- Shoulders
- Thighs
- Wrist
According to Health matters, too much sitting causes these damages in the body
- Bulging of the discs in lower back
- Flat feet, Knee Pain, Sciatia
- Weak Hips (which can be strengthened by exercises like bird-dog)
Affected legs
Prolonged sitting hinders the blood flow to the lower part of your body. Your legs become swollen or painful at specific places. You could have serious mobility issues in the long run.
Lower back pain
This has become way too common with working professionals today. Sitting too long doesn’t count only the desk job. What about driving regularly? What about your screen time? All these contribute to a strain to your lower back, especially when your are no longer conscious of your postures. Bad postures directly hit your lower back. If you do not consider exercises targeting your lower back (refer bird dog), you will be in a world of pain in the future.
Unhealthy muscles and bones
The muscle tone, elasticity and bone strength are severely impacted. The more muscles you use, the stronger those muscles will be. Your body shape can change with loosening muscles. Even simple activities will turn out to be a challenge. For example, if you are forty and above, can you still do these things comfortably?
- Sit on the floor cross legged
- Get up from the seated position with minimal support
- Jump 10 times
- Pick up a fallen object from the floor without support and second thoughts
- Bend forward and backward reasonably without pain
- Do basic household and gardening chores
Decreased metabolism
When you are seated, you need less energy than you would normally do when you are actively moving about. So the metabolic process (of converting food into energy needed by the body) slows down. But do we lessen our intake of food just because our lifestyle is sedentary? We need snacks while we are binge watching our favorite shows, we consume excess coffee and fast food at work. So where does all this food which is not essentially converted into energy go? Gradual increase in weight, increase in bad cholesterol, decreased gut health and a host of other related problems arise one after the other.
Mental health
Sitting for too long can take a toll on your mental wellness. Boredom, lack of creativity, stress are all side effects. Be mindful of your sitting hours and posture.
Negate the risks of sitting for too long
- Do not sit continuously for more than 30 mins.
- Take regular short 10-15 min breaks
- If you have to be on a phone call for a 15 or 20 mins of time, get up and walk during the call.
- Use ergonomically designed chairs for working comfortably at all times
- Be aware of your postures when sitting and correct it if necessary
- Stretch your arms and legs regularly
- Walk short distances within the office to deliver a message instead of a phone call
Simple exercises for overall health
- Walk for 30 mins everyday
- Swimming, Cycling to work are very good overall workouts
- Incorporate simple bending and stretching exercises
- Yoga is a great way to keep in shape
We need to understand that heavy workouts or strenuous exercises are not the only antidote to a sedentary lifestyle. Moderate movement throughout the day has far reaching benefits than one heavy gym hour followed by 8 hours of sitting. Recognize the importance of everyday manual labor. What you need is right there with you. You just need to put a different spin on it. So next time, increase manual chores, walk with friends/neighbors, walk to the nearest store, engage in gardening, ride your bicycle for fun and go to play with your team.
What does this kind of physical activity do?
Your activity need not be something you do out of compulsion. It can be incorporated as a hobby or even done for fun. Here are some of the benefits
- It improves your mood
- Increases blood circulation
- Healthy metabolism
- Improves muscle tone
- Increases bone strength
- Relieves you of pain and stress
The more you lounge the more exhausted you feel. The more you get out and do simple workouts, the more energized you feel. With advancing age, strength and flexibility need special attention for a healthy life – something that sitting doesn’t simply offer.
Conclusion
The best way to approach this problem of sitting too much is to devise our own life hacks which will work for us. There is no universal solution. All the suggestions above are general guidelines which you can use as a foundation to create your own wellness routine. There is no escape from sitting in front of our computers. In fact it is our job. So devise plans like walking meetings, ergonomic chairs or taking a short break every 25 mins and stick to it. Strengthening your lower body is absolutely crucial for balancing your weight. So if you understand you are a mouse potato or a couch potato, it is time to take action!
