Sitting risks - Bad effects of sitting for long hours

Researchers have found out that sitting at one place for long periods of time leads to several health concerns.

You don’t have to invest too much of time and energy to ward off the evils of sitting too much. All you need is to stand up and walk around at every chance!

Staying seated at a place for a long time can cause increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels.

Right after you sit down, the body’s calorie burning activity reduces to a very low level. No wonder you end up putting up fat around your tummy. This predisposes you to type II diabetes and several cardiac problems.

Sitting for a long time doesn’t involve only couch potatoes who watch too much TV. If you have a desk job involving sitting in front of a computer or if you spend a lot of time behind the wheels, you are at risk too.

Interestingly, researchers have found that small amount of physical activities can go a long way in cutting down the risks of too much sitting in a place. A few hours in the gym every week, a brisk walk in the morning significantly pushes away the risk factors.

What can you do if you can’t help sitting in a place for a long time?

1. Take a break regularly. Walk down to the cooler instead of having a water bottle at your desk.


2. Stand up when not using the computer, like when you talk on the phone or while eating lunch.


3. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.


4. Park your vehicle in the farthest spot in the parking lot and walk all the way to office.


5. Every time there is a break in your TV serial, get up and walk to the kitchen and back. Think up of ways to walk during work!

Even the small leisurely movement can make a big difference. You will burn more number of calories help you lose weight and gain energy.

The movement in muscles required to stand and move around triggers important processes related to burning down and break down of fats and sugar metabolism within the body. These processes halt as you sit thus increasing your health risk. So stand often and walk a lot, in short keep moving and keep active to keep fit.