The Health Risks of Sitting for Long Periods-Easy Solutions
We love to sit, but did you know about the health risks of sitting too long in a place with no flexible movement? We have all experienced it before: the discomfort and aches we get when we sit in a fixed position for a good portion of a day. It may be sitting on a stiff chair, on a long-distance flight, working on a desk job all day long or driving a long distance without stops.
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You might not realize it, but did you know that most of the physical pain in our bodies is because of excessive sitting? When we sit, there is a strong possibility that we are placing our bodies in an unfavorable position and, as a result, lacking flexibility in our movements.
When we are so engrossed in our daily routine, for example, playing some video games or too busy getting the job done on the computer, we just don’t pay attention to the feedback the body gives us until it is too late.
Sitting Is An Inevitable Part Of Our Culture.
Today’s humans can’t help it because everything we do in our daily life needs sitting down. Our forefathers were always on their feet because they had to move a lot to get work done. They were much healthier and many of the diseases that hurt us were unhurt in those days.
Their sitting position was sitting cross-legged on the floor, sitting on a lower bench, or how the Japanese practice till today. How long can you sit on a solid bench? Not too long, because the aches will come in, making you uncomfortable and forcing you to move.
I believe that the design of sitting chairs back then was more health-oriented than today’s, which is more comfortable. We just love sitting down on every occasion.
We can go out with friends to a coffee shop, study, commute, eat, etc., or chat away without realizing the time spent. This is today’s world where we seek the comfort of life. The chairs are so comfortable, standing and moving is a chore. But this comes with a price.
Have you considered how much time we spend sitting per day? This answer will get your mind wondering. Most of us fail at this, as the hours spent standing and moving are much less than sitting or lying down.
We should by now realize that stagnated movement or sitting for a prolonged period is injurious to our health and longevity. It may be one of the single most debilitating positions we can put ourselves in.
I cannot emphasize this more, that sitting is hurting you more than you understand or are aware of.
Symptoms Of Sitting Too Long
Below are some initial symptoms of sitting for too long. But note that these are changes your body is going through, indicating that something bad is happening and immediate action needs to be taken before it leads to irreversible damage.
- Back pain- Is one of the major signs that something is wrong with our body. Our abs and glutes, or more precisely, the psoas muscles and the hip flexors, have become weak.
- Knee Pain– All of a sudden, you are walking, running, or climbing stairs and you get some discomfort or pain in the knees.
- Lower Legs– You feel the calves and the hamstrings are tight and hard to press.
- Discomfort in the shoulders-Once you have these aches, most of us say it is because of stress, but it is more related to the weakening muscles around our stomach and back.
- The stomach is bulging- You have tried many workouts, but you still can’t get a flat stomach. These are symptoms’ of weak muscles because of too much sitting.
- Disrupt sexual function- without realizing your sex life will also be affected. Weakened muscles can cause decreased blood flow and circulation.
Many other symptoms are also not seen or can be felt, but knowing that with all these symptoms, something needs to be done.
What Can We Do To Neutralize Sitting And What We Do Daily?
No doubt, we just can’t change the way we have been doing things immediately. First, we need to be aware that sitting for a prolonged period in a chair is bad.
It is proven that if you think working out in a gym or doing some sort of exercise after you have been sitting for a lengthy period will make your life better, you are wrong. It might help with other factors like improving cardio or others, but not heal the symptoms above. You might aggravate the pain further.
Secretaries will tell you that getting lumbar support will help your back, but the truth is far from the truth. You have weakened the muscles, and you need to make them strong again.
So what can we do? I have done the below exercises and have seen lots of improvement. Even I get my friends to work along.
If the things you are doing need sitting down and you have no other choice, occasionally try to do the following, standing and walking from time to time frequently. Use the staircase often, walk a long way, go and see a friend in the next building.
The key here is to move and not to be stagnated. I want to point out here that the most important thing you can do to optimize your health is to just get into the habit of interrupting your long stretches of sitting.
So what muscles are we talking about? We call it, in simple terms, Psos and the Hip Flexors. If these muscles are not in balanced condition, lots of complications are derived.
These are a group of muscles that work in pairs to counterbalance each other. If anyone of them is weak, this is where the trouble starts as the other muscle has to work harder to compensate for the weaker one.
These muscles connect the legs to the spine, meaning what we do with the legs could affect the spine without us thinking about it or even feeling it.
Sitting will cause these muscles to tighten. Your hips will become fixed and may cause the muscles to pull on your lower back, which is the reason for the back pain.
This pulling on the lower back will decrease blood flow and circulation, and at the same time, nerve responses to the hips and legs. That is why, after a long time of sitting, it will take time to find your balance when you stand up.
This tight hip also affects our sex life for the above reasons. In sex, the hips are the primary movers, and, of course, we want our hips to be loose and flexible to achieve a great dynamic sex life.
A Technique for Improving Your Movement for Health, Longevity, and Performance
This blog isn’t about all doom and gloom because there is an easy fix. Click here to read more about what these muscles are and how we can go about strengthening them the simple way. Getting straight and correct to the muscles is critical, and you will notice a significant difference in a short period of time.
In today’s world, we are always looking for easy fixes, and the exercises outlined will get you back to the original healthy condition you once were.
I am a “no doctor” guy and believe in alternate methods of getting oneself back into a healthy condition. Believe it or not, it has worked for me and many others who have similar problems.
So there you have it. Solve the problem of sitting by optimizing your movement and getting stronger. Don’t underestimate the power of movement.
In short, every muscle in our body needs to be exercised or used. If not, if you don’t use it, you will lose it.
Do you have any complications? Did you know it could be because of sitting? Please share your experiences below and what you have done to improve.
Note: This article contains Affiliate Links. If you purchase anything after clicking an Affiliate Link, I may receive some compensation, with no additional cost to you. Read more here.