12 Reasons Why You Need to Start Moving – All 33

12 Reasons Why You Need to Start Moving – All 33

The average American adult sits for 6.5 hours a day. Alarmingly, that number is only increasing as we continue to increase the time we spend sitting even while we’re not at work on the computer, watching TV, or just hanging out on the couch.

But our bodies were not designed to be sedentary! Sitting has serious, frankly scary, consequences. Spending too much time sitting on our butts increases our risk of many life-threatening conditions.

Here are the specific ways that too much sitting harms your health: beware.

Your Life Expectancy Goes Down,  Your Risk of Heart Disease Goes Up, Cancer is More Probable, You’re at Greater Risk for Type 2 Diabetes, You’re More Likely to Develop Dementia, Osteoarthritis Becomes a Greater Hazard, Varicose Veins are Very Likely,  Added Anxiety,  

You Pack on Pounds

Being sedentary, by definition, involves minimal energy expenditure. In other words, sitting limits the number of calories you burn which can cause you to gain weight. Additionally, when you sit, your body’s production of the enzyme that your body produces to break down fat in your blood (lipoprotein lipase) drops by about 90 percent. Your body can’t use fat, so it stores it.

Your Back Takes a Toll

This is probably the easiest side effect of sitting to notice, and one of the most aggravating for our everyday physical and mental health. Sitting (improperly) puts stress on your back, neck, and spine because our bodies were built to be on the move, not at a desk. Additionally, most of us slouch when we sit, which can cause chronic back pain.

So What Do We Do?

The evidence that sitting is dangerous is loud and clear. But what are we supposed to do in this day and age when some many of us work desk jobs and so much of our lives take place online?

1. Move More

The most important thing is to work more movement into your every day. Be diligent about taking breaks during which you stand up, walk around, and stretch. Doctors recommend you try to stand for eight minutes and move around for two minutes for every 20 minutes of sitting. Using a fitness tracker, app, or pedometer to track your steps can do wonders. While 10,000 steps is recommended, at first just aim to increase your time spent movement and it will be beneficial.

2. Set Up an Ergonomic Workspace

 

Follow these 8 simple steps for setting up an ergonomic workspace. Make sure your screen is at eye-level, your feet rest on the floor, and your elbows are at a 90 degree angle.

 

3. When You Sit, Sit Smart

When you do sit, you need to sit in a chair that helps instead of hurts you. There’s only one chair that can help you both move more and ensure ergonomics. The BackStrong C1 was designed by chiropractor Dr. Dennis Colonello and industrial engineer Jim Grove specifically to combat the dangers of sitting.

Stationary sitting leaves your muscles completely inactive. The BackStrong C1 has a saddle-like seat that moves, which keeps your blood flowing and counteracts the dangerous effects of being sedentary.