Several studies over a period of time have established that sitting for a longer period of time can not only be detrimental to your health, but can also be deadly. The researchers found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day without physical activity had a risk of dying similar to that posed by obesity and smoking. If you also sit for long periods of time, you should know that doing so and being inactive for a longer period of time can make you overweight and obese and put you at risk of type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer and premature death. It can also slow down your metabolism, and as a result, wreaks havoc on your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, and break down body fat. (Also read: Sitting puts your health at risk: study)
The WHO (2013) estimates that 3.2 million people die prematurely each year due to a sedentary lifestyle. It also increases the risk of chronic musculoskeletal disorders, such as low back pain and neck and knee pain, which is a major socioeconomic concern for years to come.
What is sitting for a long time?
“Prolonged sitting behavior is when a human being spends sitting for more than 8 to 9 hours in a day with minimal energy expenditure. This includes office hours, regularly driving or using public transportation, and excessive time in front of the screen,” says Lalchawimawi Sanate PT, LCCE. Designation: Senior Physiotherapist Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Bangalore, Sahakarnagar.
The adverse effects of sitting too long are:
– Increased blood pressure
– Increased risk of type 2 diabetes
– Excess body fat around the waist.
– High level of bad cholesterol
– Increased muscle imbalance leading to a musculoskeletal disorder
– Increased risk of depression and anxiety
Can we reverse the effects of sitting too long?
To reverse the effects of excessive sitting on our bodies, we need to increase our energy expenditure throughout the day by exercising and reducing prolonged sitting.
Lalchawimawi Sanate suggests 5 exercises that can help reverse the adverse effects of too much sitting and can be easily incorporated into your work hours:
1. Push-ups
Benefits: Push-ups improve upper body strength, posture, and activate your core muscles.
How to do it
– Support the edge of your desk with your hands, slightly wider than your shoulders.
– Take a step back until your body leans directly towards your feet.
– Your feet are on the ground and your arms are fully extended.
– Tighten your abdominal muscles and bend your elbow at a 90 degree angle, along with your body and push yourself back to the starting position.
Note: Avoid arching your back.
things to remember
– Make sure your desk is strong enough to support your body weight. If not, you can do wall pushups.
– Wall push-ups will be easier during pregnancy if it’s your first time doing them.
2. Seated Spinal Twist
Benefits: This improves spinal mobility, stretches the chest, hips, mid and lower back, and activates the oblique muscles.
How to do it
– Sit upright in your chair with your feet flat on the floor.
– Place your right hand on the backrest on the right side and place your left hand on your right thigh.
– Slowly rotate your body from your torso until your left shoulder is in line with your right thigh and your eyes are on your right shoulder. Repeat on the other side.
3. Seated Knee Pushups
Benefits: This exercise strengthens your core muscles and erector spinae muscles, improves posture, and decreases back pain.
How to do it
– Sit upright in a chair without resting your back on the back of the chair and hold onto the armrest of the chair.
– Activate your abdomen and stretch both legs parallel to the ground.
– Keep your feet together, bend both knees in toward your body.
– Consciously try to activate your abdominal muscles.
Note: If you find it difficult to bend both knees towards your body, bend your knees one by one towards your body.
4. Chair squats
Benefits: Chair squats strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps and improve flexibility in the hip and knee joints.
How to do it
– Stand a step away from your chair, with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing slightly out.
– Supporting your body weight on both ankle joints, bend your hips and knees in degrees as if you were going to sit on a chair. Hold the position for 5 seconds and slowly return to the starting position.
Note: Do not round your back, knees should not cross the line of the toes.
5. Heel raise
Benefits: This strengthens the calf muscles, which are the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, improves circulation, especially in the population with chronic venous disease, and ankle stability.
How to do it
– Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and hold onto your chair or desk for support.
– Slowly raise your heel until your toes rest on the floor, hold the lift for 3-5 seconds, and slowly lower your heel back to the floor.
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