Sitting for long periods of time can lead to a number of negative health effects. In this article, we’ll discuss why sitting is bad for your body and how it affects your health.
Why is Sitting bad for your health?
Sitting for too long causes the muscles in our legs and back to atrophy and stiffen up. The human body is made to move, not to be still. When you sit for too long, your muscles can become tight and unresponsive. This is because they are not used to being active and therefore don’t know how to relax when you’re stationary. If a muscle doesn’t receive enough blood flow from the heart under normal conditions, then it becomes stiffer over time.
The human body was never designed for people who spend most of their day sitting down—it was built for movement! When we sit in one position all day long, our bodies lose muscle tone throughout their entire body—including the backs of our necks and lower backs (which are crucial areas for support). The lack of activity also leads to a lack of balance within the pelvis region which can cause low back pain as well as hip pain/tension/weakness in general if left untreated over time.
Our body is made to move, not for stillness. A sedentary lifestyle can cause muscle imbalances in the pelvis and spine, which can lead to muscle pain, headaches, and back or neck pain.
What health risks does it give you?
Sitting for long periods of time leads to an increased risk of developing certain diseases like diabetes or heart disease as it increases blood pressure levels and raises cholesterol levels. All these factors are known contributors to poor health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes (pre-diabetes). This is why it’s important that we make sure our bodies get enough exercise every day!
Sitting for too long can cause problems with your spine. When you sit for extended periods of time, the lumbar spine curves excessively forward. This pushes the discs in your lower back together, causing them to bulge and become a source of pain.
Over time, sitting can make it difficult to stand straight and walk normally. This impairs your balance and posture control resulting in an increase in the risk of falls and fractures.
In addition to this immediate effect, sitting for long periods of time can also lead to other health issues down the line: low-back pain, sciatica (pain from nerve irritation along the sciatic nerve), stiff muscles, headaches, etc. It can also give you certain types of cancer.
How does sitting hamper our health?
Sitting is a major factor in the development of osteoporosis, which is a disease that causes your bones to become thin and brittle, making them more likely to break without warning or fail during an activity like walking up stairs (or even brushing your teeth). Slinging around all day with your legs locked in one position will lead to numbness, swelling, and/or tingling in your hands, feet, and/or fingers.
When we sit for too long, blood pools in our legs and causes fluid to accumulate near the ankles. This results in swelling and numbness from lack of circulation. Sitting also puts a strain on your knees, hips, back, and neck. It’s important that you take breaks throughout the day so that these muscles can relax and recover.
Sitting reduces blood flow and the amount of oxygen entering your lungs due to decreased breathing capacity. This causes damage over time as your muscles don’t receive enough oxygen or nutrients necessary for proper functioning. You can increase your resting heart rate by standing up with just one minute of exercise, but what about those who work long hours?
You don’t burn calories while sitting!
While you are sitting you aren’t burning any calories so you are more likely to gain weight – especially around the waistline as this is where fat settles first. Because it’s easily accessible with low levels of physical activity. The fat that accumulates is visceral fat, which is very dangerous for our health. As it gets accumulated around the organs and can cause certain diseases. This fat is very difficult to get rid of!
If you are working at a desk job, try taking short breaks every hour or so. If you are someone who likes to sit down for long stretches during work hours like me then I highly recommend investing in some good quality recliners. So that when you do get tired from sitting all day it won’t feel like punishment!
Takeaways
Sitting is not good for your body. It’s time to take action! If you have been sitting for too long, consider standing up every now and then or taking breaks throughout the day. This will help keep blood flowing through your legs. And boost metabolism levels so you burn more calories even when you are just sitting there doing nothing!
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