Exercising every day is important. It may not be enough if you’re sitting all day. Long hours of inactivity and sitting may be killing you. Studies show that sitting longer than an hour diminishes the effect of a daily workout. Some studies suggest that getting up every 30 minutes and moving is best, while others suggest moving five minutes every hour. Sitting too long increases the risk of obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and joint issues. It also affects your mood and can trigger depression.
You can’t undo prolonged sitting.
Even if you go to the gym regularly, you can’t change the negative effects of sitting the rest of the time. Sitting takes its toll on cognitive functioning, too. You’ll be less productive the more you sit. It decreases blood flow to the brain and increases stress levels. When you sit too long, you increase mental fatigue. If you find it difficult to focus or absorb the material you’re reading, get up and move about. The increased circulation to your brain improves focus and cognitive functioning.
Taking regular breaks can prevent serious conditions.
You’re at risk for health issues like deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot in the leg that can have lethal results if you don’t move frequently enough. It increases the risk for some types of cancer. It can affect your sleep quality. It can even affect bone and heart health. It changes blood flow, slows metabolism, leads to hypertension, and causes musculoskeletal disorders.
.One study found that sitting longer than 11 hours a day puts you at a very high risk for health issues.
The study didn’t differentiate whether sitting those hours consecutively or intermittently made a difference. It also didn’t note whether it was unhealthy if you exercised daily. It identified low-risk individuals as those who sat less than 4 hours a day, moving through medium, high risk, and up to very high risk at 11 hours a day. Reduce the risks by using a sit-and-stand desk, standing when talking on the phone, taking regular walking breaks, and stretching frequently.
- If you use a standing desk, move your feet and walk in place as you stand. You’ll keep your metabolism higher and improve circulation and heart health. It’s just as unhealthy to stand in the same position as it is to sit in the same position.
- If you expect your workout to offset your sitting time, you need to do intense exercise to offset six to seven hours of sitting just to maintain your present fitness. You have to do more if you want improvement.
- Look for ways to be more active throughout the day. Walk to lunch or take it and walk to a park to eat it. If you use the bathroom, use the one on the floor above you or below and use the stairs.
- If you’re taking a five-minute break you don’t have to leave your office area. Stand up and stretch. March in place. Do windmills or other types of exercise to boost circulation.
For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness