Our bodies were not built for sitting down all day, but in today’s society we are spending more time in this position than ever before. Many of us have desk jobs where nearly all of our time is spent seated, and when we come home the first thing that we do is head for the sofa for an evening relaxing in front of the television.
This kind of sedentary behaviour can have a negative impact on our health so it’s important that we move around as much as we possibly can.
Rising obesity figures
The problem of obesity is closely linked to spending long periods of time in the same position. As soon as we sit down, the rate at which we burn calories begins to fall, and the enzymes which help to break down the fat in our bodies also begins to decrease. This means that if you were to go from a job where you were standing all day to one where you were seated, you could gain weight if you did not change your eating habits.
Movement keeps us supple
Not moving around enough can also cause problems for your joints and you may start to experience pain after sitting for an extended period. When this discomfort is experienced it can often put people off of moving because they believe that the sensation will get worse if they try to move about.
However, this is not the case. Our joints are designed to be kept moving and remaining seated can actually make the pain much worse. Moving your limbs regularly becomes even more important if you suffer from conditions such as arthritis.
Change your routine
It is recommended that adults exercise for thirty minutes at least three times a week in order to maintain good health. However, even this is not enough on its own if you are stuck in a chair all day. You need to move regularly in order to break up the time that is spent in a seated position and get the blood circulating again.
If you are at work you should try to look for every opportunity that you can to get up from your desk. Try to avoid eating lunch at your desk or vehicle seat as this will only increase the time that you spend sitting down. If you need to talk to a colleague, go and speak to them in person rather than phoning or sending an email.
Take your new habits home
There are also many ways that you can reduce the amount of time that you spend sitting down at home too. Many of us like to relax by watching our favourite television shows, and this pastime can still be enjoyed, but you need to take breaks from the couch. This can easily be achieved by getting up and moving during the commercials. Keeping your drink in the kitchen will also encourage you to stand up and move whenever you are thirsty too.
Not moving around enough throughout the day can cause a number of issues for our health, but it isn’t always something that can be avoided. However, just getting out of our seats for a minute or two can make all the difference to our wellbeing and this is something that we should try to do whenever possible.
Our ancestors would have been hunting or farming and spent very little of their time on their behinds, so our bodies are now better adapted to standing rather than sitting. Going against this can cause all manner of problems, but keeping ourselves moving will go some way to minimising the negative impact that our sedentary lifestyles are having on our bodies.