You may have heard by now that doctors and researchers are comparing the dangers of sitting for long periods of time to smoking. Unfortunately, the reality is, most people have to sit for some period everyday to work, drive, enjoy a meal, or watch television at the end of a long day. Our daily sitting habits, though, are not only increasing weight and waist lines, but may also be causing dangerous diseases.
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Sitting for long periods of time stalls the body’s natural ability to breakdown fats and sugars. When the body doesn’t break down fats and sugars consumed throughout the day, the fats and sugars are stored in the body, leading to cardiovascular disease. In fact, Mayo Clinic estimates that sitting throughout the day increases a person’s risk of obesity and may lead to a 125% increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease.
If you’re one of the many that is required to sit for long periods of time at work, there are ways to reverse the damage done by sitting, even without leaving the office.
Make it a habit to stand while talking on the telephone at work. If your job requires you to sit at a desk for seven to nine hours each day, committing to taking even a few moments to stand and break up the periods spent sitting will help.
If your job allows, try using a standing desk that allows you to stand while you complete your daily tasks and avoid sitting altogether, or at least the majority of the day.
Commit to taking a walking break throughout the workday. Give your body and your mind a break every thirty minutes to stand or stretch and ward off the ill effects of prolonged sitting.
After work, make your workout work for you at FitClub. If you’ve been sitting all day, adding the exercises below can do wonders for combating the dangers of sitting.
Add free weights or kettlebells to your workout routine to train and strengthen the muscles that work to stabilize your body and posture, like shoulders, hips, and core.
Try lunges either with or without weights to better engage the glute muscles that have suffered from too much sitting.
Stretch and strengthen unused muscles with a Yoga or Pilates class at FitClub. Both Yoga and Pilates not only stretch and tone muscles, but also realign the body and improve posture that may suffer from slouching in a chair throughout the day.
Once you know the dangers of sitting too much, you can begin to look for opportunities throughout your day to take a walk, stand for a bit, or strengthen the muscles neglected while you’re in a chair.
Do you have a tip or trick to share that helps you beat the dangers of sitting? Be sure to share it in the comment section for your fellow FitClub members!
