“The Risks of a Sedentary Lifestyle: How Prolonged Sitting Can Affect Your Health”

Natalia Mayorova

6 hours ago

sedentary lifestyle (1)

Sitting death syndrome is a new but official term in medicine, and it does not mean that people die sitting. We are talking about the risk of dying from too long and improper sitting. According to statistics, this cider takes twice as many lives as severe forms of obesity.

It’s all about the declining metabolism of lipids – fatty substances due to immobility. Idle muscles stop breaking them down, and everything we eat goes straight to the fat depot. First of all, in the most dangerous visceral fat, which begins to cover the internal organs. These deposits are harmful in that they produce hormones that accelerate the overgrowth of blood vessels with cholesterol and disrupt the absorption of sugar in the body. As a result – cardiovascular misfortunes and diabetes. At the same time, it is not so easy to establish a fat metabolism – rare sports will not help here.

How to do it right

• Practice at least 20 minutes every day. To speed up the metabolism, regularity is especially important. It is better to let it be everyday walking or simple exercises than exercising once a week to the point of exhaustion.
• Create living conditions in which you have to walk more. These little things that we are used to and no longer notice can be a great help to start moving. Give up the TV remote, walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator (if possible), get off the transport 1-2 stops before the house, and walk part of the way.
• If conditions and health allow, get yourself a pet, a cat or dog will make you move and get up more often from the sofa or computer chair.

But if your profession involves a constant presence at the table, properly equip the workplace. Place a computer monitor at a distance of 40 to 70 cm from you at eye level – this will help you sit with your shoulders straight and unload your cervical spine. Plus, it will not allow you to tilt your head down, accelerating the sagging of the face contour.

It is especially harmful to remain motionless for more than three hours in a row. Every hour, find an excuse to get up and walk for at least 5 minutes.