What Happens To Your Health When You Sit For Too Long

Do you spend your entire day behind your desk? More than half of the population spends most of the time sitting, which results in increased waistline and bad physical and mental health. Our body needs regular movement, but we spend more than 6 hours sitting on the chair, which is our mortal enemy. Extended sitting can put your health at risk.

You can also do Chair Yoga at your work place. By practicing Chair Yoga for 10 minutes regularly, you can prevent the negative effects of sitting in a chair for long periods. With no strenuous movements of your body, you can easily perform Chair yoga at your work place to re-energize yourself and strengthen your body muscles. And, trust us, Chair Yoga is effective. You can book your own personal or group Chair Yoga sessions, here.

Do you want to know the negative effects of sitting in the same position for a prolonged period?

1) Belly fat

Do you have a desk job? If yes, then you must have experienced the consequences of sitting all day long on a chair. The sedentary job that requires you to sit all day long on the chair increases the risk of gaining belly fat. A recent study also shows that sedentary lifestyle is so closely linked to obesity because it makes you consume more calories than you actually burn. You’re highly likely to gain fat around waist circumference. This is extremely dangerous to health and causes various health problems.

2) Heart Disease

It is very important to exercise to reduce cardiovascular risk and keep your body fit. Sitting involves very little muscle activity and this gives rise to excess body fat around the waist, increased cholesterol levels and blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular diseases. A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of a heart disease by up to 14 percent. Therefore, sitting for long on the chair can harm your cardiovascular health.  To mitigate this harm caused by sedentary lifestyle, you should try to move as much as possible in between and after your work hours. Don’t go home directly and sit in front of the TV for hours after work.

3) Back and Neck pain

There are too many problems of sitting for long periods; back and neck pain is no exception. We often slump forward while working to stare at a computer screen that has an adverse pressure on your spine.  It is because our spinal discs act as shock absorbents between adjacent vertebrae. It absorbs nutrients through contractions and expansion of spinal discs. Too much of sitting in one posture restricts the expansion and contraction of spinal discs due to immovability. This increases the risk of herniated disks, neck problems, and other back problems.

4) High Blood Sugar Level

No matter how much you exercise, sitting for too long is bad for your health. Chair time is an insidious health hazard that leads to increased blood sugar levels. The more you sit, higher will be the blood sugar levels. Whereas, engaging your body in any kind of physical activity engages your muscles to use blood glucose which averts chances of diabetes.

5) Mental Health Issues

Sitting for long periods is also associated with mental health issues. Prolonged sitting slows down your brain and prevents it from functioning properly. Just like your entire body and other body organs, your brain also needs proper oxygen and blood circulation to work normally. As a result, it can also lead to depression and insomnia.

6) Weak Legs and Glutes

When not using your legs, you’re losing them. When you sit for long periods, you’re not using your lower body muscles to hold you up, causing muscle atrophy, a condition which weakens the muscles due to poor circulation in legs. Also, a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of weak leg bones, joints, and osteoporosis. Therefore, it is important to incorporate physical activities into your life style. In addition, sitting causes hip flexors, the muscles responsible for flexing your hips, to shorten.

7) Varicose veins

If you pass half of your time on the chair then you are at the risk of developing Varicose veins. It is due to pooling of blood in legs because of sitting at one place for long periods. Avoid sitting for too long if you already have varicose veins. Prolonged sitting can worsen its symptoms and cause conditions like discomfort, heaviness, burning or pain in legs, swell in ankles and feet, be itching in the area of the varicose vein.

8) Cancer Risk

Spending hours on a chair put your health at the risk of cancer. For good health and prevention of cancer, it is recommended that one should incorporate physical activity into their daily work routine to cut down the time spent sitting on the chair. Every hour, one should get up from the chair and move their body at least once. This can help discourage the risk of cancer.