FACT: Long sitters are liable to die young!
Yes, you've heard that smokers are liable to die young. What you didn't know is that long sitters are liable to die young too.
So in a way, we can say "Sitting is the new smoking".
It is fact that sitting for long periods of time, say 6-8hours of a day, can have adverse effects on your health. And these effects are life-threatening ones.
Experts have likened the effects that sitting for long periods of time causes to that caused by smoking and Obesity.
This is because sitting for long increases your level of inactivity and this can lead to a build up of unused fat in your body as well as unhealthy cholesterol levels.
Sitting for long periods of time as also be linked, increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and increased the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
A study showed that sitting for 8 or more hours per day increases the risk of getting heart disease or dying from any cause when compared to those who sat for only half that time by roughly 20%.
Also a source cited states that "prolonged sitters were 49% more likely to have heart failure".
A shocker is that even if you exercise, you will still have a higher risk of mortality if you’re spending prolonged hours sitting.
Overall, research had pointed out that less sitting and more moving contribute to better health. An expert said that it's as though humans were built to move and if we don't, there's trouble.
Some of us sit for long periods of time just because we have nothing better to do but however, sitting for that long is inevitable for some of us. It's almost like we do more sitting than anything else.
Besides work, you're also sitting to drive, while eating, chatting and watching TV. All these can amount to a large chunk of time in a single day.
And yes, there are ways we can live better.
And one way to live better is to take a stand against, and this is literarily speaking. Ofcourse you can stand all day but there are ways you can go about it.
You can take 30mins break walk in-between your schedule. You could also get a desk that can switch between standing and sitting.
You can be inventive, just make sure you're not sitting for most part of the day.
REFERENCES:
John Roark. Why Sitting Is Taking Years Off Your Life, And How To Fight Back. https://everythingsouthcity.com/2018/06/why-sitting-is-taking-years-off-your-life-and-how-to-fight-back/. ACCESSED 29TH JULY, 2022.
Reviewed by Tyler Wheeler, MD. Why Sitting Too Much Is Bad for Your Health. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/ss/slideshow-sitting-health.ACCESSED 29TH JULY, 2022.
Edward R. Laskowski, M.D. What are the risks of sitting too much?. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005#:~:text=Research%20has%20linked%20sitting%20for,that%20make%20up%20metabolic%20syndrome.ACCESSED 29TH JULY, 2022.