Sitting – whether it’s in the car, at work, in classes, around a dinner table, or in front of the TV, is very much the norm of today and can lead to variety of health issues.
Our bodies were never designed to accommodate a position that diminishes the blood flow to our legs and feet and contorts our spine. A much more natural position is squatting, which many prehistoric humans practiced until societies began industrializing and we lost the necessity to squat, both in the workplace and even the restroom.
Our bodies have become less flexible, and researchers suggest the decreased reliance on bodily movement has us paying the price.
If you’re sitting, your muscles are not contracting. This inactivity then causes the metabolism to slow down – you gain weight, your cholesterol and triglyceride levels go up, and blood sugar spikes.
The long-term effects are equally as severe. Experts at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center performed a 12-year study on 17,000 Canadians aged 18-90. Now pay attention to this! They found that regardless of age, body weight, or exercise levels, people who spent more time sitting ended up dying earlier.
So for those of you that have desk jobs, watch a lot of TV, or get lost on the Internet, get up every 20 minutes and move or stretch.