Are you sitting too much?

Think about it…Do you sit too much?

The average adult is seated for about 70% of their waking hours. Now, I know you can’t stand or be on the move 24/7, but this excess sitting is causing negative effects on your health. One of the main reasons why being more sedentary is on the rise is due to an increase in the number of desk jobs. There are more and more studies being done because of the rise in these types of jobs, and the results are astounding. Risk of certain cancers start to increase, brain function starts to decrease, cardiovascular health decreases and even depression and anxiety increase in individuals who simply just sit too much.

Now desk jobs are not the only reason people are sitting too much. Technology plays a huge role in this issue as well. Think about it, you are probably sitting on your phone or at a computer reading this right now.

Sitting puts you in a slouched over position putting more pressure on the discs in your spine. This repetitive unnecessary stress on the spine is causing a more rapid rate of degeneration. The spine is at the core of all movements made by your body. When you have degeneration of the spine, you increasingly lose motion at the core of all your movement. This in turn creates a vast array of other symptoms and issues. Another problem that arises from sitting for long periods is the shortening of the hip flexor muscles (iliopsoas and quadriceps). The iliopsoas muscle connects your femur to the low back or lumbar spine. When this muscle is shortened it tugs on your low back causing pain. This also creates excess curvature in the low back which can lead to other postural defects in the rest of the spine.

If you know you are going to be sitting for long periods of time, it is wise to get up and stretch every 30 minutes. You don’t even have to take a 10-minute break just try and stretch for about 30 seconds and go about your business. If you have a desk job that requires a lot of sitting it would be very beneficial to do some sort of exercise when you get home. Your body will thank you.

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