Eight Bad Things That Happen From Sitting Down All Day
Boy, if this won't get you up outa that chair at work, NOTHING will.
But this really isn't new information to me. Lord, no. Tonya has been preaching this to me since I started with her at Rock Solid Wellness Studio some two years ago. She has always encouraged me to get up from time to time, stretch, do squats, run in place, or even, if your environment permits it, do your work standing up. There's even some new evidence that suggests that simply BY standing up at work, you can burn a TON of calories over a years time. That's the good news.
You've probably seen people with those desks that let you work while you're standing up. And maybe you thought they were freaks. But you might be joining them, after you hear some of these negative health effects from sitting down all day at work.
1. Leaky veins. Sitting all day keeps the veins in your legs under high pressure all the time, because blood tends to pool there.
And THAT causes proteins and fluids to LEAK OUT into the surrounding tissue, which causes leg ulcers and all kinds of other problems.
2. High blood sugar. If you're not moving, your muscles aren't working. That makes them less effective at absorbing glucose from the blood, and more insulin resistant . . . which can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes.
3. Constipation. Long sedentary periods tend to reduce the amount of contractions in your gut . . . so the stuff that's in there just STAYS there.
4. Headaches. Slumping all day at a desk puts strain on your neck muscles. And it can affect the nerves in your neck and face too.
5. Bad knees. Sitting all day makes your leg muscles weaker . . . and that means they're not available to take stress off your knee joints.
6. Brain fog. You need to move your muscles for good circulation. If blood isn't flowing in your body, it's not getting to your brain either. And then you don't think as clearly.
7. Colon cancer. A study in Australia found that people who spent more than ten years in sedentary jobs were much more likely to develop colon cancer . . . even if they exercised regularly during their free time.
8. Slipped discs. If your spine stays still all day, the discs between your vertebrae are constantly under pressure, which makes them slip out more easily after sudden movements.
So tomorrow, why not try to incorporate some movement into your day. Stand up, stretch. Take a walk up and down the stairs on your break. See if you can re-arrange your work space to allow completing your work not sitting on your butt.
Oh, and HAPPY MONDAY!
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