Sitting Longer Than 30 Minutes is a Health Risk.
Did you know that too much sitting has been associated with higher risk of death? A study by Eanes, Too Much Sitting: A Newly Recognized Health Risk, mentioned that sitting for more than 30 minutes with the absence of whole body movement has detrimental effects that negate regular exercise. Meaning, even if you’re an individual who exercises regularly, you are still vulnerable to many health risks if your total daily sitting time is high.
Sitting for long periods is thought to slow the metabolism, which affects the body's ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat. Sedentary behaviours are often associated with various health problems such as cardiovascular issues, obesity, some cancers, type 2 diabetes and early death.
Prolonged sitting will put extra pressure on your spine, it squashes our discs while our joints and muscles are being put into a certain position for too long. This leads to back pain, soreness and even numbness down the leg.
However, if you take frequent standing or walking breaks such as 2 to 3 minutes of walking or standing for every 30 minutes of sitting, it takes the pressure off your spine while activating inactive muscles.
Tips to avoid having a high total daily sitting time:
take frequent standing or walking breaks (standing or walking for 2 to 3 minutes every 30 minutes)
stand when talking on a cellphone
when watching television, walk or stand during commercial breaks (or set self timer to pause the video every 20 to 30 minutes)
wear physical activity monitors
find hobbies that encourages physical activities
use computer software or smartphone apps to remind you to move around
use a standing desk
Chiropractic treatment combined with physiotherapy is very effective for back pain. Chiropractors help to reduce the pressure from the spine and physiotherapists can activate inactive muscles.
Moving your body is proven to be very beneficial for you, now stand up and walk around a little bit.
References:
Why we should sit less
CE: Too Much Sitting: A Newly Recognized Health Risk