You probably already know that being sedentary is bad for your health. After all, everyone’s heard about the importance of exercise. But many people don’t realize exactly how bad it is to sit all day. And exercising won’t necessarily protect you from the damage caused by sitting down. If you spend a large portion of your day in a chair or on the couch, you’ll probably end up facing health problems down the road, even if you also hit the gym every single day. Here are four reasons your sedentary job is hurting your health.
1. Sitting all day is bad for your posture.
It’s easy to slouch when you sit for long periods of time, especially if you’re hunched over a keyboard. Over time, poor posture can lead to long-term back pain, as well as other body aches. You’re more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, feel tired all the time, and even suffer from mood disorders, like depression, if you sit with bad posture for most of the day.
2. Sitting can increase your risk for many different diseases.
When you sit down all day, you aren’t just missing out on the benefits of exercise. Sitting actually contributes to the development of many different diseases. As the New York Times reported, a sedentary lifestyle — specifically, sitting for at least 9-10 hours per day — increases the risk of developing heart disease and other heart-related problems. Likewise, sitting still increases your insulin resistance, which makes you more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Several types of cancer, including prostate and breast cancer, are more prevalent in sedentary people as well.
3. A sedentary lifestyle can cause you to gain weight.
The less you move around during the day, the fewer calories you’ll burn. The average person burns about 60 calories per minute when they’re sitting down and 72 when they’re standing up. It’s easy to see how trading an active job for a sedentary job can be disastrous for your waistline unless you’re careful about your food intake.
4. Sitting all day makes you more likely to get injured.
Staying fit is an ongoing task. Without regular exercise, your muscles will quickly start to get weaker. If you have a sedentary job and don’t exercise regularly, your muscle tone could deteriorate, leaving you more vulnerable to injuries. If you sustain injuries from a serious accident, such as a car accident or a slip and fall accident, it may take your body a long time to recover, and a personal injury claim might not produce enough compensation to cover for those losses.
In Conclusion
Fortunately, even if you have a job that requires you to sit for much of the day, you don’t have to resign yourself to the health problems that go along with a sedentary lifestyle. The best way to protect yourself is to simply get moving! Once every hour, get up and move around — get a cup of coffee, go to the bathroom, or go up and down a few flights of stairs.
If you really need to sit still during your workday, chiropractic treatment may also help you avoid health complications. A chiropractor, like a chiropractor Gaithersburg MD relies on, helps to keep your spine healthy, which can ward off problems with your posture and relieve aches and pains. This, in turn, can make it easier to stay active and healthy during your free time.
Thanks to our friends and contributors from Pain & Arthritis Relief Center for their insight into chiropractic care.
The legal firm of Rispoli & Borneo, P.C. has successfully represented many cases. Our attorneys are here to help. Contact Rispoli & Borneo, P.C. today for a free initial consultation.