Related Articles
| Rate This Article: |
Many of us suffer from the sitting disease: A sedentary life, parked at a desk
Many of us suffer from the sitting disease: A sedentary life, parked at a desk.
Your
construction worker husband, who lifts, lugs, hauls and climbs all day, might not
agree, but your sedentary job can take its physical toll on you. Sitting at a
desk, in one spot, for an eight hour stretch may even be more demanding and
detrimental to your health than non-stop physically hard work.
The Institute of Medicine and Public Health reports
that a large segment of society spends as much as 56 hours a week parked in a
chair in front of a desk and computer, behind the wheel of a vehicle, or
languishing on the couch in front of the TV. That amounts to 2-1/3rd
days out of every week that many of us are sedentary -- and that does not include
sleep time.
A new medical study called "inactivity physiology" examines the outcome of our increasingly sedentary lives and has devised a term
for what has become epidemic as sitting disease.
People gain weight because of sitting disease. We
eat as we always have but we do not move as much and the result is weight gain,
particularly around the mid section.
In addition, a sedentary lifestyle leads to heart
attacks and other serious medical conditions.
When you sit for hours on end, your metabolism slows.
When your muscles are immobile for a long period of time, you burn fewer
calories and your circulation slows down appreciably. The less you move the
less blood sugar that is utilized by your body, according to Dr. Marc Hamilton
of the University of Missouri. This can put you at risk of developing diabetes.
In fact, for every 120 minutes spent on your butt each day, your risk of
contracting diabetes increases by seven percent. Furthermore, a sedentary
lifestyle ups your chances of becoming depressed because there is less blood
flow to your brain as well as fewer endorphins, which are the feel good
chemicals, being released by your brain.
As if you did not already know this, sitting wreaks
havoc on the health of your spine and your posture because your hamstrings
tighten and shorten as do your hip flexors, while the muscles that support your
spine become stiff and weak. This leads to chronic lower back pain.
If is imperative that you break up your sedentary
work day for your physical and mental health. Ironically, the Latin word for
exercise is exercere, which means to keep busy or at work. So
keep your body busy while at work, even if you are stuck in a cubicle. Exercise
is keeping your body busy. When you exercise you use bones and muscles and your
heart is forced to keep up with your activities, which keeps blood and oxygen
flowing at a sufficient rate.
You do not need an in-office personal trainer to
advise you on how to get a break during a sedentary work day. You can formulate
a plan yourself. First off, take the stairs rather than the elevator. Yep.
Secondly, realize that you can move, even if you are seated. Stretch both arms
over head, extending your arms the full length. Now lean to the right, keeping
your arms stretched over head, hold, now reverse and lean to the left, hold,
and then return to the starting position. Extend your arms to the front, knit
your fingers together and essentially turn your hands inside out so that the
palm of your hands is facing a way from you. Hold this position for a few
seconds and then relax.
Reach your right arm across your chest. Use your
left hand to press on your right upper arm. You will feel the stretch. Repeat
the stretch using the left arm.
With your back straight, lower your head to your
right shoulder; do not allow your shoulder to lift up. Follow this with
lowering your head to the left shoulder. Lower your head to the front; your
chin should be resting on your chest. Lift up your head and look upward. You
will feel a pull in the front of your neck.
Your eyes get tired when you work, so give them some
R&R. Close them. Relax your face. Massage your forehead and temples. Give
some R&R to your fingers, too. Carpal tunnel syndrome can be the result
from too much typing and you want to avoid that. Splay your fingers and using a
finger from the other hand, bend each finger backward toward you, one at a
time. Do this on both hands. Make a fist and then straighten your fingers. Do
this several times. Do a yoga technique calling valley massage: Using a finger
on the opposite hand, rub in the valley between each of your fingers. Your
fingers need to be stretched so they can maintain their flexibility.
Keep some scented moisturizer or hand lotion in your
office. Rub it on your hands and anywhere on your body, your neck, face, or
upper back, that needs some loving care.
Get up and walk purposely around your office. This
will release the stiffness in your legs and back and help get rid of kinks and
a tired, sore butt. Get a healthy snack in the afternoon and spend five minutes
enjoying that and staring into space. If you are able, listen to the kind of
music that energizes you and defeats the late afternoon doldrums. Everyone
deserves a breather and mid-afternoon is when most require a break.
Resources:
Womens Health Magazine: sedentary lifestyle hazards
ConsumerFreedom.com