Some people have active lifestyles and are always moving around. Many of us do not.
You know how good it feels when you have been sitting for a long time and you get up and have a big stretch? Our bodies need to be moved and twisted and encouraged to lengthen in order to work like they should. We have so many conveniences in life now that we just don’t need to move around that much. Everything we need can be delivered right to our door with a few clicks of the mouse.
Action – We sit a lot. We commute, work, watch tv, go to movies, and eat while sitting. How many hours a day do you think you sit? Research shows that anything more than eight hours can have negative health consequences. Another study found that the average office worker sits for up to 15 hours a day. This is a hazard of modern life.
Sitting too much causes weight gain from limited calories being utilized, has negative heart effects, and can be very bad for the back if you have poor posture. Being sedentary may have a direct effect on insulin resistance, thus increasing the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Other possible consequences of sitting too long include deep-vein thrombosis and cardiovascular disease.
It also tightens up the hip flexors and hamstrings, causing us to lose flexibility and potentially altering the way we walk. This can lead to lower-back stiffness and knee problems. Basically, sitting too much is a big problem.
Steps – If you have to sit to do your work, at least try to schedule regular bouts of activity throughout the day. Getting up and walking around as much as possible is important. Stand up when you are on the phone and walk more when you are out. Park further away from the store, walk instead of driving, or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Any extra movement you can add throughout the day is important.
When the weather permits, get outside and get some fresh air. When it isn’t nice out, then walk in whatever space you have. Any movement is better than none.
Why It Makes You Feel Better – Inactivity not only affects physical health, it can also lead to depression and sadness. There are preliminary studies that show it may also affect memory and the actual functioning of the brain. We are blessed with legs to move around, and just because we don’t need to walk with all of the modern conveniences, our bodies and brains still need the activity.
Try to walk as much as possible, or at least stand up. Use the body as it was intended to be used and get it moving around.
Example – There are standing desks now that can be used at work. With audiobooks, you can listen to a book while walking instead of sitting and reading one. There are ways to work more activity into daily life, but it needs to be a conscious decision because there are also conveniences that allow you to never have to move around at all.
Get up, stretch, and walk around a bit. Make this a habit so you aren’t sitting for longer than 20 minutes at a time if possible. Do whatever you can to encourage more movement into your day.