Are you glued to your chair for hours together, whether be it for work or leisure? Then, it’s time to stand up for your health. Before the sitting disease takes over your life and leads to unanticipated health threats, it’s time you take control.
What is Sitting Disease?
This term was coined by the scientific community. It refers to the metabolic issues and overly sedentary lifestyle caused by too much sitting around. Whether it is time spent working at the office, school, home, driving or watching TV, sitting disease is the 4th leading risk factor for global mortality.
Since a physically inactive lifestyle contributes to a series of health issues like obesity, cardiovascular ailments, and even cancer, you can fight off this disease by taking steps to be more physically active.
Do you have Sitting Disease?
Consider how much you sit during the day. Are you constantly at your work desk, how much time do you spend driving and how much time do you sit watching TV? What’s more modern technology has us glued to our seats with online shopping, cell phone, email, and apps. Our body was made to move and when your rewind back 20 years ago, we moved more than we do now.
Solutions to Combat Sitting Disease
Here are ways you can curb this disease and sneak in some activity in an otherwise deskbound day:
Exercise Just Ain’t Enough
It is a common misconception that exercise can solve the problem of prolonged sitting hours. Even if you get the recommended moderate to vigorous exercises per week, it does not really help with this problem. What you need to do is alternate between sitting and standing every 30 minutes to reduce the impact of the sitting disease.
Low-Intensity, Non-Exercise Activities are Important
Apart from your regular exercises, it is equally important to get moving with small goals. NEAT which stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis includes activities such as stretching, turning and bending. So, even if you are made to sit for a long time during your office hours, you can break the sitting monotony with small stretches or bends right at your desk.
Have a whole day approach to moving more. Use the stairs instead of the elevator, conduct your meetings standing up, go for a small walk during lunch, walk to your co-worker’s cubicle for a friendly banter. These are some simple ways to get you up and moving.
Stand up more Often
Standing burns more calories than sitting and also improves the circulation of blood and proper oxygen flow. This will enhance better cognition and enable you to focus better. It also improves the posture and reduces the risk of osteoporosis with aging. Don’t remain in a seated position for a long time. Stand up at regular intervals to notice a visible difference in your physical and mental health.
Practice Chair Yoga
Watch a video on how you can do chair yoga right at your desk. A 5-15 minutes session of this yoga will help a great deal to alleviate the negative effects of sitting too much. In addition, you can also undertake breathing exercises or pranayama as a good stress buster. Now, that’s two in one benefits of practicing Yoga.
Multitask when Watching TV
Sure, everyone wants to unwind their busy day catching up with their favorite show. No worries, run your household errand while you are at it. Just don’t be a couch potato. Research shows that the longer we sit and watch TV, the greater the waist circumference and higher the health risks.
Pay Attention to your Ergonomics
A proper sitting position is also recommended for better bone health. The chair that you use should support the natural curvature of the lumbar spine. Also, sit at the proper distance from the desk with your elbows and knees at a 90-degree angle with feet flat on the floor. Make your workspace ergonomic so that your body will thank you later.
Be mindful of extended sedentary periods associated with sitting too much and proactively increase your movements. Move more, stand up and reduce your exposure to the sitting disease.
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