Sitting is something that we do every day. But did you know that sitting is ranked number 4 in a list of leading death factors in the world? Each year almost half a million people die because of health complications that are caused by a combination of sitting for many hours and physical inactivity. Today we are going to share with you some facts about the danger of sitting to your ergonomics health.
Danger of Sitting for Different Parts of Your Body
1. Legs and Gluteal Muscles
When you sit your legs are relaxed. However, when your legs are inactive for many hours, you are increasing the risk of weakening your gluteal muscles. These muscles are responsible for walking and stabilizing your moves.
2. Weight and Gastrointestinal Tract
The formula here is simple: the more you move, the more calories you burn and less fat you have. Moreover,
it is difficult for your body to digest the food you have eaten if you sit all the time. In the long run it may influence not only your weight but also your gastrointestinal tract. The more you sit and the less you move, the more risk you have to get metabolic syndrome.
3. Veins and Blood Transportation
The more you sit, the more you are at risk of having another dangerous illness, varicose veins. Blood vessels transport blood all over your body. The more sedentary you are, the more difficult it is for your blood to move the blood to and from your lower legs. And this may lead to the creation of blood cloths. Of course, the blood cloths do not happen at once. The more you sit and the less you move, the more danger of sitting you will have. In the long run, a creation of blood cloths leads to thrombosis. Pay attention to your sitting time and take your shoes off when you are travelling for a long distance by plane, car or train.
4. Anxiety and Depression
The connection between emotions and movements seems to be not obvious at first glance. However, when you spend all your day sitting at a desk and do not move often, you will just not be happy. Why does it happen? When you make movements, your brain gets special signals and your mood gets better. If you have a feeling of anxiety, mood swings or any depression signs, think of the amount of movements you do every day.
5. Nerve Disorders
Sitting for a long period of time causes nerve disorders. Danger of sitting does not come alone, nerve disorders get on its peak together with vitamin deficiencies, stress and lack of physical activities. However, sitting for many hours for a long period of time can be a trigger, and within a few days you will have a nerve disorder. Of course, you will not die because of it but the quality of your life will get worse and you will not be able to do simple everyday things like standing or walking.
6. Stiffness of Neck and Shoulders
When sitting too much for a long period of time in one position, your neck and shoulders get tired and get stiff. Why is it dangerous? In a long term perspective, you may get some serious diseases such as arthritis or meningitis. Of course, both of them do not happen out of the blue so if you start having uncomfortable feelings in your shoulders and neck, think of spending less time sitting but more standing. A standing desk could be a very good option for you to relax your shoulders and neck and also reduce the danger of sitting and help you maintain a healthy body.
7. Musculoskeletal Disorders
Musculoskeletal disorders affect the body of a human being and the movements. Disorders of this kind can vary from trigger finger and thumb to ligament sprain and rotator cuff tendonitis. What should you pay attention to? The first signs! They may include tiredness, numbness, pain and swellings. Musculoskeletal disorders should be treated as soon as possible when detected as they may lead to serious consequences for your health. In order to avoid them, take care of enough vitamins in your food and physical activities. If you want to have a bit of physical activity in the office, do some movements and also think of changing the working position in the office. Try to mix sitting, standing and movements. These are our tips for you to add more movements to your day.
Conclusion
Sitting has a strong negative connection with many parts of human body. If you want to sit less and stand more, getting a standing desk is a good option, no matter if you work at home or in the office. When choosing the right standing desk, you should pay attention to some technical parameters, accessories, brands and other essential things.
Feel free to contact Fitnest anytime. There is always a friendly human for you! 😉
Sources
- Laurent Huber, Trevor Shilton (2016). The 4th leading risk factor for death worldwide: physical inactivity is an urgent public health priority https://ncdalliance.org/news-events/blog/the-4th-leading-cause-of-death-worldwide-physical-inactivity-is-an-urgent-public-health-priority
- Olivia Lerche (2016). Dangerous blood cloth and varicose veins: this is the REAL risk of sitting all day https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/694574/sitting-down-all-day-desk-TV-blood-clots-varicose-veins
- Michelle Segar (2016). The Scientific Reasons Why Movements is the Key to Happiness https://heleo.com/michelle-segar-scientific-reasons-movement-key-happiness/8192/
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