Contents:
- Medical Video: Why sitting is bad for you - Murat Dalkilinç
- "Sitting is the new smoking"
- Why is sitting damaging to our bodies?
- How to avoid health risks due to too long sitting?
- 1. Make sure we exercise at least 30 minutes a day
- 2. Doing stretching on the sidelines of work time
- 3. Reducing the activity of watching TV
- 4. Using public transportation facilities
Medical Video: Why sitting is bad for you - Murat Dalkilinç
Being stuck in traffic for one hour when leaving and returning to work, plus a 7-hour sitting in the office, plus 3 hours of watching television, makes us unaware that almost half of our days have been spent sitting.
Our bodies are not created for sedentary lifestyle, alias a lifestyle where we have very little or no physical activity at all. Since time immemorial, our bodies have been used to move, hunt, work, and even adapt in extreme weather. But with the development of technology and all the conveniences it creates, humans are becoming increasingly accustomed to these comfortable conditions without much movement.
"Sitting is the new smoking"
Sitting too long every day poses health risks that are comparable to smoking and can lead to various diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Dr. James Levine, director of the Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University Obesity Solutions Initiative, has researched for years the negative effects of sitting and concluding that "Sitting is the new smoking" or the translation is, "sitting is a 'smoking' new version", because in terms of adverse effects, the lifestyle spent with lots of sitting is no less dangerous than smoking.
The bad news is, the negative effects of too much sitting are unfortunately of the natureirreversible and cannot be compensated for with good habits. The only way to avoid the negative effects is to reduce the length of sitting per day and start moving.
A study conducted by the College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine states that human productivity will continue to decline with age. And our productivity also decreases every time we have one minor health risk (eg excessive body weight, high blood sugar values, lack of physical activity, etc.). Imagine if someone has more than 10 minor health risks, then his productivity will also decrease by half. Do not be surprised if the hours in the office will feel tiring and the performance while working is not as good as expected.
By sitting more than 6 hours per day, the risk of death increases by 40% in 15 years when compared to people who sit less than 3 hours. And this cannot be fixed with regular exercise. However, what really causes sitting too long to kill us?
Why is sitting damaging to our bodies?
As soon as we sit:
- Electrical activity in the lower limbs stops.
- Burning calories by the body decreases by 1 calorie per minute.This will have a direct impact on obesity and can lead to obesity if left for a long time, and worse if accompanied by an unhealthy diet.
- Enzymes that help break down fat fall by 90%.
After 2 hours of sitting:
- The amount of HDL (good fat) decreased by 20%.The decrease in the amount of good fat can increase the risk of hypercholesterolemia (the amount of abnormal cholesterol in the body).
After 24 hours:
Effectiveness of insulin, a hormone that helps distribute sugar from the blood throughout the body, drops 24%. This is one of the triggers for diabetes, especially in people who have had obesity problems from the beginning (overweight) or obesity.
How to avoid health risks due to too long sitting?
Most of us don't have many choices because of the demands of work that requires us to sit in the office for hours. But there are a number of things we can do to circumvent these conditions, including:
1. Make sure we exercise at least 30 minutes a day
Some differences between exercising (exercise) and physical activity (physical activity) namely exercise carried out in a planned, structured, carried out repeatedly which aims to improve physical fitness.The good news, 30 minutes of exercise can be divided into several times, for example 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon, or even 10 minutes in the morning, afternoon and evening.
2. Doing stretching on the sidelines of work time
For example, standing occasionally or walking around in the office at rest or during lunch. Stretching help stiff muscles for relaxation by way of blood circulation.
3. Reducing the activity of watching TV
Limit time watching TV at home and changing to other entertainment activities such as sightseeing, cooking, cleaning, or even exercising.
4. Using public transportation facilities
Using a bus or train will require you to walk more every day. Or, you can also bike to the office. If you have to use a private vehicle, then leave early and park further so there is free time to walk to the office.
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