What are the Effects of Sitting Too Much?

Sitting can be a nice break for many, considering a hectic and busy day. But many of the modern day jobs require us to sit the entire day in front of a computer followed by the down time sitting in front of a TV with the family. So how is sitting affecting our body?

Well, the answer to this is not quite satisfactory. When we are sitting the electrical activity of the muscle falls down significantly and the calorie burning rate fall to as low as one calorie/minute. If your body is in a sitting position for more than three hours then there is a chance of 50% drop in artery dilation, leading to lesser amount of blood flow.

Sitting for twenty four hours straight reduces the action of insulin by 40% which leads to TYPE 2 Diabetes. If we consider an entire week then sitting for approximately six hours per day increases the bad cholesterol content of the body and also increases the fatty acids leading to an overweight condition. Because of continuous inactive nature of the sitting position, the muscles start to degenerate which impedes the blood flow to the heart.

In a research by Doctor James Levine, an experiment was carried out on many participants who were made to consume food in the lab for two months and were not allowed to exercise. They discovered that some of the participants were gaining weight rapidly while others were gaining too little or no weight even though they were not exercising. After a couple of years the Doctor realized the answer to this mystery. The people who didn’t gain weight were unconsciously moving more. On the average, the subjects that gained weight sat for two hours more than those who did not gain weight.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17sitting-t.html?_r=0&referer=

Researches also shows that just as exercise does not counteract the negative effects of smoking, similarly it does not counteract the negative effects of sitting too much. The effect is cumulative and studies have proved that if the routine of sitting more than six hours per day is continued for a year then there is a potential decrease, of about 1%, in bone mass per year.

Physical movement not only pumps blood and oxygen to the brain but also sends mood enhancing hormones. When we start sitting down brain functions start slowing down. Perhaps the most shocking effects are noticed after ten to twenty years of sitting for more that six hours per day when you may have lost seven quality adjusted life years. This leads to medical issues or even death. For example the risk of dying due to heart issues increases 64% while the risk of prostate or breast cancer increases 30%.

Our body is not meant to be sedentary. People who sit for 3 to 4 hours a day are estimated to be healthier and their life span increases for about two years. As scary as it sounds there are many solutions to this sitting epidemic. Stay tuned for the solutions as I will be sharing them very soon. Until then, try to sit a bit less than regular and stay healthy!!