PROLONGED SITTING AND YOUR HEALTH

The negative impact of sedentary lifestyle has become well known throughout the world. Movement has become more important for longevity in a world that sits more.

Sitting puts more pressure on your spine compared to standing. A high percentage of people with back pain report sitting for long hours or have a sedentary lifestyle. Movement hydrates the discs in your spine and keeps blood flowing to provide nutrients. That means quicker recovery and prevention of injury all together. 

Long hours of sitting increases the risk of disc and spinal injuries, particularly in the low back. With more injuries and abnormal posture, spina degeneration begins earlier in life. 

When people sit they often end up in a slumped posture. A slumped posture compresses the stomach and intestines. This decreases the body’s ability to digest and absorb nutrients. Over time, core strength can be lost. 

Slumping also puts the hips into a position of long term flexion, in this position of long term flexion. In this position the psoas muscles, which connect the  lumbar vertebrae to the femur, tighten, gluteal (buttock) muscles become weaker, and hips loose their range of motion.

In the elderly population these physical consequences increase the likelihood of a fall. Falls for the elderly increase the risk of death in the following three months by five to eight times! Besides the fact that the more falls equals more fractures resulting in decreased quality of life thereafter. 
If you’re sitting anywhere for a prolonged times, get up and move every 30 minutes. 

Data from the 2016 Women’s Cohort study suggests that even fidgeting is more beneficial than no movement at all. A gentle 10 minute movement routine can prevent any blood flow damage which can occur with three or more hours of sitting. Loss of blood flow by just 1% can increase an adult’s risk of heart disease by 13%. 

Movement is life. Your ability to move can reduce the development of some of the most common spinal injuries and chronic diseases known in our world. 

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