The Dangers of Sitting
I’ve talked about this before, but with a growing body of evidence on the subject, it’s worth mentioning again. Sitting is having a detrimental impact on our health. Many today are chained to a desk for hours, only to then sit some more in their car trapped in traffic… then, once home, they sit again in front of the TV to relax. The problem is that it sneaks up on all of us as our society has become more sedentary. Most people do not think about how much they’re actually sitting every day.
The link between physical activity and heart health has long been known. In the Forties and Fifties, a British epidemiologist studied the heart attack rates of hundreds of bus drivers – who sat for 90 per cent of their shifts – and bus conductors, who climbed 600 stairs a day. Dr Morris found that the conductors had less than half the heart attack rate of their sedentary colleagues.
Exercise makes the heart pound, which makes blood flow faster through the arteries.
As a vascular surgeon put it, if you don’t keep blood pumping out of your leg and back to your heart, you get high pressure all the time in the veins in the lower legs and feet.
Sitting for too long can also cause us to become insulin resistant, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
Sitting for a prolonged period can lead to heartburn. If you don’t move after eating, your stomach empties more slowly and in turn more acid is produced to digest the food.
Several studies have found a link between physical activity and cognitive function. Benefits of moving that you see in muscles you also see in the brain. If you have good blood flow to the muscles, you have good blood flow to the brain.
So, wiggle your toes, take a quick walk after a meal… set alarms that remind you to stand up, walk or run in place for a while… stretch your legs and back.
Remember how good it felt in elementary school when the recess bell rang? We raced out of our chairs and flew outside to play. Your body demands the same activity weather your 7 or 70… get up and get moving… don’t forget to take recesses!
That’s all for now, stay fit!
