Our entire life revolves around sitting. When we work, we sit. When we travel, by car or by air, we sit. When we socialize, we sit. Then there is hours and hours of being glued to the TV that requires, you guessed it…sitting. As a society, we have become a sedentary society totally changing the daily lifestyles that our ancestors had. What is the health risk associated with this sedentary lifestyle?
More and more research is confirming the notion that sitting too much is actually risking our health in so many ways. The latest study, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity looked at the health of Men and aged 45 to 65 from New South Wales, Australia, who sat less than four hours a day, four to six hours, and six to eight hours. Those who sat more than four hours a day were significantly more likely to report having a chronic disease such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. More surprisingly, too much sitting and sedentary lifestyle is not offset by exercising regularly. Scientists from University of Toronto found out that sitting too much, even among people who exercise regularly led to higher rates of hospitalization, heart disease and cancer, as well as early death.
Sitting long hours also affects our spine. People that sit more are at greater risk for accelerated spinal degeneration and herniation of intervertebral disks. When we move, the disks in our spine expand contract like sponges soaking up nutrients. Sitting too long hardens the ligaments and strains the muscles that support the joints. That in turn creates chronic neck and back pain that sometimes can be debilitating. At our Chiropractic clinic, we see many professionals, from CEOs to IT managers who tend to sit for hours and hours during the day consumed by their work. They later suffer from pain and are affected by degenerative spinal disease.
The solution starts with sitting and moving more. Start by simply standing rather than sitting whenever you have a chance. At work, a standing desk would be preferable. Stand or better walk for a minute or two every half hour. You can also stretch for a couple of minutes and go back to whatever you were doing. If you watch TV at night, commercials can be a good reminder to get up and take a water break.
By Dr. Rashid Hassen, DC, MHA
Chiropractic Specialty Clinics
Tel: 026345162
