In the 21st century, jobs that require us to sit in front of computers for eight hours a day are commonplace. Whether you hold one of these types of jobs, or find yourself sitting for long periods of time anyway, you may have wondered… is sitting all day bad for you?
Sitting for prolonged periods of time can be detrimental to health, and can cause health problems ranging from vascular disease to physical injury and/or pain.
In this blog post, the expert team at Intouch Chiropractic will weigh in on this question and provide tips on how to better integrate motion into a normal day of sitting.
First, let’s answer the question that brought you here.
Is Sitting Down All Day Bad for Health?
The short answer is yes, sitting all day is bad for health. The human body was not designed for such prolonged periods of sitting, and so it logically follows that too much sitting may have harmful effects on health.
There are a wide variety of potential health issues one might experience from a sedentary lifestyle of constantly sitting and no movement. Many of the patients we see at our San Diego office come in to seek chiropractic treatment on their neck and/or back as a result of years and years of sitting all day at work. Too much time behind a desk has far worse consequences for our health, performance, and energy than we ever thought!
Sitting is so common in our society, that at some point, some even called it the “new smoking.” Ouch. Not sure if that is an accurate comparison, but prolonged sitting does have some pretty serious consequences. While we’re seated, a lot of changes happen.
Here are 10 of the most common health issues that happen from such prolonged sitting:
- Blood sugar rises
- Muscles become tighter
- Metabolism slows down
- Blood flow to the heart slows
- Hormonal changes occur
- Heart disease and diabetes risk increase
- Lower back pressure increases
- Posture is compromised
- Back and spine injuries can increase
- Chronic pain may set in
Although we may not be able to eliminate sitting altogether, we can certainly minimize it. We do our best to keep our bodies moving throughout the day to make sure we are keeping our spines and bodies healthy.
There are a few simple things you can integrate into your daily routine to make sure that you don’t spend the entire day in a seated position. Here are some of the top recommendations from the team at Intouch Chiropractic in San Diego.
4 Tips for Integrating Movement Into a Day of Sitting
There are a countless number of small changes you can make to ensure you are getting even a little physical activity during a normal day that requires you to sit for hours.
Here are four extremely easy ways to break up sedentary behavior with physical activity that will have positive effects on posture, heart and physical health, and your mental well being.
- Drink more water. Making it a point to drink more water during a typical day is a good hack for introducing more movement into your day. Not only will you have to continue getting up to refill your cup or water bottle, but it will also increase the frequency of bathroom trips during your day. So, drink more water and move around more!
- Take phone calls or meetings while walking. If you regularly have meetings or phone calls you need to join during your work day, use that time to get up and walk around. And if you have in-person meetings with coworkers, propose that some of them be done while walking!
- Get a standing desk. Standing desks are becoming an increasingly popular way for people to break up periods of sitting. Some of the best standing desks allow you to program in different preset heights, making it extremely easy to switch between sitting and standing throughout the day.
- Explore the Pomodoro Technique. One of the best hacks for breaking up excessive sitting is also one of the best hacks for increasing productivity! The Pomodoro Technique is a time management strategy that introduces periods of rest in between periods of focus. Try a Pomodoro Timer and during the rest periods, get outside and walk around in the sun!
And, of course, if you have a pet you can take it for a few short walks in the day – they’ll love it!
“The entire team here is incredible. They are extremely accommodating and the therapy has allowed me to live more pain-free. I highly recommend!!” – Intouch Chiropractic Review by Scott K.
The Health Effects of Sitting All Day, in Conclusion
Unfortunately, sitting is an unavoidable necessity of life in modern society. But, life doesn’t have to be complicated! Make a few changes to your routine to minimize the hours of sitting at work, in the car, or at home.
Your back will thank you for it years down the road!
And if you are struggling from health issues as a result of too much sitting, contact Intouch Chiropractic today. Call our office today at (619) 756-7510 or request an appointment here.
