Sitting Yourself to Death

Whether we like to admit it or not, living a sedentary lifestyle is contributing to a growing list of health problems in our society.  Those who sit at a desk all day or behind the wheel of a vehicle with little or no exercise are at increased risk for a number of chronic health problems.  According to the Mayo Clinic, those who have such a lifestyle are in danger of things like "obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels."
 
One study showed that those who spend a large amount of time in front of a television or other forms of screen entertainment had a roughly 50% greater risk of death from any source.  It’s not really difficult to imagine why this might be the case.  Greater body weight combined with lower strength and stamina and reduced balance and flexibility means less agility and durability.  This in turn raises the likelihood of more accidents or injuries.  An Australian study of 63,000 older adult men showed that men who sat for more than 4 hours a day were more likely to have a serious, chronic illness than those who sat for less than 4 hours per day.  Above 6 hours per day, men were at significantly greater risk of diabetes.  Those who regularly sat more than 8 hours a day had the highest level of health risk.  This research demonstrates a direct link between increased health risks and a sedentary lifestyle!

Yet another study showed that back pain strikes 80% of all adults at some time in their life.  A significant number of these people suffer because they sit too much.  Their core muscles lose conditioning and their waistline increases, causing the back muscles to do more work to make up for soft abdominals.  Weak muscles put the body at risk even during simple tasks. With a more sedentary lifestyle, it becomes easier to overdo the reaching, the lifting, or other simple physical work that occurs during an average day.

There’s another reason that movement is particularly important when it comes to maintaining good spinal health as well.  If the spine is kept motionless, circulation is reduced, and it cannot get the nutrients it needs to stay healthy or to heal itself.  If you already have back pain, seeing a chiropractor is a big step in the right direction.  A chiropractor can help to restore motion to the spine and, in many cases, provide immediate relief.  However, even world-class chiropractic care is no substitute for a healthy lifestyle that includes a good diet and lots of exercise.  The doctor can’t do all the work for you.

So now that we know living a sedentary lifestyle increases our health risks, what can we do about it?  You can start by finding more excuses to move around throughout the day, instead of saving it up for a trip to the gym.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.  Park further away from an entrance and walk.  There are many ways to increase our activity, and not all are rigorous or difficult.  The goal is to just get moving!