Sitting Is Detrimental to Your Health

Researchers are finding that a sedentary lifestyle is harmful to your health, and over time, sitting on your backside can literally kill you. Thanks to the electronic age, people of all ages spend more hours a day sitting in front of TV and computer screens or texting and chatting via smartphones – all without standing up and moving around. The elderly who no longer work or who are slowed by physical limitations are especially susceptible to what health experts are dubbing the “sitting disease.”

When people sit for longer periods of time, their metabolism slows, circulation decreases and muscles become weak and stiff. With less movement, the body uses less blood sugar, and research shows that for every two hours a person sits per day, the chance of getting diabetes increases by 7 percent. Inactive people also are more prone to heart disease because enzymes that regulate blood fats become sluggish. With less activity, individuals also burn fewer calories, which can lead to obesity and further health complications.

Fortunately, sitting disease can be prevented and often reversed through physical activity. Even a few simple adjustments in daily activity, particularly in the non-exercise routines that burn calories, such as folding laundry or vacuuming, can deter the perils of extended sitting. You can shake up the sedentary life every day by:

• Standing up every half-hour and walking around and stretching.
• Standing while you read emails or clean up your desk or countertop.
• Walking around when you are on the phone.
• Cooking more meals instead of ordering fast food or delivery.

What little things can you or your loved one do to ward off sitting disease?