Care2 Healthy Living/Zoe Blarowski: 4 Ways to Reduce the Damage of Prolonged Sitting

Care2 Healthy Living | 4 Ways to Reduce the Damage of Prolonged Sitting
38
4 Ways to Reduce the Damage of Prolonged Sitting
38
tweet
1
0
email
252

    a Care2 favorite by Zoe Blarowski

    About Zoe

Research is mounting that chronic sitting is associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity and even early death. But sitting can be hard to avoid in modern life, so what can you do about it?

It turns out there are many small actions you can take throughout the day to help reduce your risks of developing sitting-related health problems.
1. Take a 10-minute walk

Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine found that blood circulation and vascular function in your limbs is impaired when you sit for prolonged periods of time. But they also found that walking for only 10 minutes, the equivalent of about 1000 steps, restores healthy blood flow and vascular function.

The study specifically looked at participants who had sat for six hours straight. Then they went for a 10-minute walk. This was enough activity to counteract the vascular impairments of sitting all day.

It’s fairly easy to fit a 10-minute walk into your day. You can park in the back of the parking lot if you drive to work or college, take the stairs instead of the elevator or take a quick walk around the block when possible. You can even do a few laps around your local grocery store or mall when you go shopping.
Love This? Never Miss Another Story.
2. Stand up regularly

A study published in Diabetes Care showed that 5 minutes of standing for every 30 minutes of sitting was linked to improved blood sugar regulation, whether or not the participants stood still for the 5 minutes or walked around. The same routine, standing for 5 out of every 30 minutes, was also recommended in an International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity paper that examined ways to counteract the negative effects of prolonged sitting.

Dr. James Levine, the co-director of the Mayo Clinic, found that getting up after a long period of sitting has many positive physiological effects. For instance, within 90 seconds of standing up, your muscular and cellular functions that process blood sugar and cholesterol are activated.

To integrate regular standing breaks into your day, try standing while talking on the phone, waiting at a doctor’s office, or when you’re on a bus. At work, stand up to look in your filing cabinet instead of rolling your chair over to it. Walk over and ask a coworker a question instead of emailing them. Take the long way to the bathroom. You can also set a timer on your phone or computer to remind you to stand every half hour.

But don’t get carried away. It’s been shown that standing for long periods of time is also harmful to your body. Breaking up your activity throughout the day is what’s important.
3. Keep track of your steps

Getting a pedometer is an excellent way to maintain awareness of how much you move during the day. It can give you a good idea of where you’re at currently and if you need to step up your movement.

You can buy a pedometer at a store or use an app on your iPhone or Android.

Recommendations vary on how many steps you should aim for per day, depending on your age and current fitness level. If you’re currently getting very few steps in per day, a good goal is to try and walk a bit more daily until you average 5,000 steps each day. If you lead a more active lifestyle, try for 10,000 and up.
4. Maintain a healthy sitting posture

When you do have to sit, there are ways to improve your posture and back health. Esther Gokhale is a well-known “posture guru” who has studied and lectured on back health and posture throughout the world.

She has identified two of the best postures for sitting, which she calls stack sitting and stretch sitting. Stack sitting is when you sit with your bum sticking out slightly behind you, but only slightly. Gokhale has found this posture allows your breath to naturally lengthen and settle your spine while sitting.

Stretch sitting is another way to elongate your spine by using a prop on your chair, such as a towel or cushion. She demonstrates this technique in the video below.


Related Stories

    10 Yoga Poses For People Who Sit All Day
    What’s the Best Type of Exercise for Your Personality?
    Why Standing Desks May Not Be as Beneficial as You Think

GREAT STORY, RIGHT?
Share it with your friends
38
tweet
1
0
email
CONNECT WITH US

    Facebook 1.1 million followers
    Twitter 560,000 followers
    Pinterest 30,000 followers
    Email Newsletter

EMAIL THE EDITORS

You Might Also Like

    30 cleaning tips that professional car washers wish we didn't know 30 cleaning tips that professional car washers wish we didn't know Life Tonik
    Home Home 5195 Marketing

    10 Superfoods That Balance Hormones and Reduce Inflammation 10 Superfoods That Balance Hormones and Reduce Inflammation
    Why Does Clutter Stress Us Out? Why Does Clutter Stress Us Out?

    Health Benefits and Uses of Almond Oil Health Benefits and Uses of Almond Oil
    10 Weird Things That Boost Your Sex Life 10 Weird Things That Boost Your Sex Life

Recommended by
252 comments
Anne M
Anne Mjust now

Will keep this in mind...
SEND
Lenore K
Lenore K22 minutes ago

j
SEND
Stephanie s
Stephanie s27 minutes ago

Thank you
SEND
Kay B
Kay B31 minutes ago

Craig P, in your case, I would ask my doctor or physical therapist what I could do to maintain fitness and gain strength. Considering you've had surgery, you wouldn't want to do anything that may hinder your progress. But in general, most physical therapists say to just do what you can do. No matter how minimal it seems, just regularly do whatever it is you are capable of and try to build on that.
SEND
Ant m
Ant mabout an hour ago

tks ....
SEND
John B
John B1 hours ago

Thanks for re-sharing these great tips.
SEND
Roslyn M
Roslyn McBride1 hours ago

To Craig P: if you can stand, even shakily, for 5 minutes out of every 30 minutes, according to this article, that should help you a lot. Best of luck getting out of that wheelchair permanently.
SEND
Roslyn M
Roslyn McBride1 hours ago

This is probably the most important thing I'll read all day. I sit at the computer for several hours a day & end up with chronic cramps in my arms & legs. I walk my dog daily, but that isn't enough. I've made a note to myself to get up every 30 minutes to walk or stand, for 5 minutes, & to sit better. Many thanks for the article.
SEND
Sheila S
Sheila S1 hours ago

One day each week I serve as a receptionist - 7.5 hours at the front desk. This will be very helpful!
SEND
Delia F
Delia F2 hours ago

Thanks
SEND
view all 252 comments
TOP STORIES

    1
    4 Ways to Reduce the Damage of Prolonged Sitting
    2
    Meat Industry Reacts to New Cancer Guidelines Calling Processed Meat Carcinogenic
    3
    The Cooking Oil that Could Damage Your Memory and Cause Weight Gain
    4
    Which Fruits and Vegetables Boost DNA Repair?
    5
    Should We Eat Raw or Cooked Greens in Winter?

ads keep care2 free
learn more ▸
ads keep care2 free
learn more ▸
COMMUNITY SUCCESS!
Success! Beloved Wild Horses in Arizona Are Officially Protected

Animal advocates are celebrating a major victory for a beloved herd of wild horses in Arizona's...
more
38
tweet
1
0

    Care2 Home
    About Us
    Contact Us
    advertising

Copyright © 2018 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved
site feedback
site feedback

    log in / Join

    Start A Petition
    Sign Petition
    CARE2 Home
    healthy living
        Food + Recipes
        Health
        Love + Sex
        Green
        News
        Crafts
        Ecards
        Brands for Good
        Nature
        Pets
        Spirit
        Home
        Life
        Family
        Beauty
    causes & news
    Success Stories
    butterfly rewards

New to Care2? Start Here.

    About Us
    Care2 Team Blog