The Dangers of Sitting Long at Work

Movement is Life. Sitting Long at workplace is not good for health Living a sedentary lifestyle can be dangerous to your health. The less sitting or lying down you do during the day, the better your chances for living a healthy life. If you stand or move around during the day, you have a lower risk of early death than if you sit at a desk. If you live a sedentary lifestyle, you have a higher chance of being overweight, heart disease, and experiencing depression and anxiety. How does a sedentary lifestyle affect your body? Humans are built to stand upright. Your heart and cardiovascular system work more effectively that way. Your bowel also functions more efficiently when you are upright. It is common for people who are bedridden in hospital to experience problems with their bowel function. When you are physically active, on the other hand, your overall energy levels and endurance improve, and your bones maintain strength. Legs and gluteals (bum muscles): Sitting for long periods can lead to weakening and wasting away of the large leg and gluteal muscles. These large muscles are important for walking and for stabilising you. If these muscles are weak you are more likely to injure yourself from falls, and from strains when you do exercise. Weight: Moving your muscles helps your body digest the fats and sugars you eat. If you spend a lot of time sitting, digestion is not as efficient, so you retain those fats and sugars as fat in your body. Even if you exercise but spend a large amount of time sitting, you are still risking health problems, such as metabolic syndrome. The latest research suggests you need 60–75 minutes per day of moderate-intensity activity to combat the dangers of excessive sitting. Hips and back: Just like your legs and gluteals, your hips and back will not support you as well if you sit for long periods. Sitting causes your hip flexor muscles to shorten, which can lead to problems with your hip joints. Sitting for long periods can also cause problems with your back, especially if you consistently sit with poor posture or don’t use an ergonomically designed chair or workstation. Poor posture may also cause poor spine health such as compression in the discs in your spine, leading to premature degeneration, which can be very painful. Anxiety and depression: We don’t understand the links between sitting and mental health as well as we do the links between sitting and physical health yet, but we do know that the risk of both anxiety and depression is higher in people that sit more. This might be because people who spend a lot of time sitting are missing the positive effects of physical activity and fitness. If so, getting up and moving may help. Varicose veins: Sitting for long periods can lead to varicose veins or spider veins (a smaller version of varicose veins). This is because sitting causes blood to pool in your legs. Varicose veins aren’t usually dangerous. In rare cases, they can lead to blood clots, which can cause serious problems (see deep vein thrombosis, below). Stiff neck and shoulders: If you spend your time hunched over a computer keyboard, this can lead to pain and stiffness in your neck and shoulders. How can you save your health? Build more activity into your day Some ways you can incorporate activity into your day are: Walk or cycle, and leave the car at home. For longer trips, walk or cycle part of the way. Use the stairs instead of the lift or escalator, or at least walk up the escalator. Get off the bus one stop early and walk the rest of the way. Park further away from wherever you’re going and walk the rest of the way. Calculate how long it takes you to walk one kilometer – you may find you can reach your destination faster by walking than if you wait for public transport. If you work in an office: Go for a mini walk around at work place Meet Your Colleagues and have a little chat Stand up while you read Move your rubbish bin away from your desk Here are some simple ideas to keep you moving while you’re at home: When you’re tidying up, put items away in small trips rather than taking it all together Set the timer on your television to turn off an hour earlier than usual to remind you Walk around carefully when you’re on the phone Stand up and do some ironing and little help for others