Is Sitting Bad for Your Health … and Waistline?

Is Sitting Bad for Your Health … and Waistline?What the Surprising Research Revealsby http://www.sixwise.com/

As you read this, you’re probably sitting -- a motion done by all of us countless times a day. We sit to eat, to work, to relax, to conversate, to socialize … to engage in infinite moments of our lives.
Sitting for too long may contribute to heart disease, diabetes and obesity!
Yet as research would have it, this very simple and often necessary act could be insidiously harming your health in a surprising number of ways.
"Chair time is an insidious hazard because people haven't been told it's a hazard," Marc Hamilton, Ph.D., a professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Missouri in Columbia, told Ivanhoe Broadcast News.
According to Hamilton, numerous studies show rates of heart disease, diabetes and obesity are doubled and even tripled in people who sit a lot. Part of the problem is sitting stops the circulation of lipase, an enzyme that absorbs fats. So instead of being absorbed by your muscles, when you’re sitting fat recirculates in your bloodstream where it may end up stored as body fat, clogging arteries or contributing to disease.
In fact, simply standing up as opposed to sitting engages muscles and helps your body process fat and cholesterol in a positive way, regardless of the amount of exercise you do.
Sitting Less May be Just as Important as Regular Exercise
We all know we’re supposed to get regular exercise to stay healthy. What you may not know is that spending all the time you’re not exercising in a sitting position may totally overwhelm the benefits of exercise.
Get Up From Your Chair and … Stretch!
Stretching is an excellent alternative to sitting, and Stretching Toward a Healthier Life on DVD gets our top recommendation for five key reasons:
It presents 15 stretches that stretch all the key muscles groups throughout your entire body (a benefit you will NOT get by just sitting and watching TV!).
It only takes about 15-20 minutes per day total to do the complete stretching.
Stretching expert and host Jacques Gauthier and his wife Dorothee Lavoie demonstrate each stretch in their entirety, including insights on what NOT to do.
In addition to stretching nearly 100% of the muscles in your body, Gauthier chose 15 stretches that you'll find actually feel good and are easy to do (many stretches in other programs are not).
The production quality of the video and sound is excellent. (Many other DVD productions on stretching are not.)
Find out more about Stretching Toward a Healthier Life with FREE SHIPPING for a Limited Time!
In other words, research by Hamilton and others found sitting not only has a negative effect on fat and cholesterol metabolism, but also stimulates disease-promoting processes. What’s more, exercising, even for an hour a day, does not reverse this effect.
"The enzymes in blood vessels of muscles responsible for 'fat burning' are shut off within hours of not standing," Hamilton said on ScienceDaily.com. "Standing and moving lightly will re-engage the enzymes, but since people are awake 16 hours a day, it stands to reason that when people sit much of that time they are losing the opportunity for optimal metabolism throughout the day."
This may be one reason why sitting can cause you to gain weight. A study in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders found those who had high daily levels of sitting (7.4 hours or more) were significantly more likely to be overweight or obese than those who reported low daily sitting levels (less than 4.7 hours a day).
A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine even found that the longer a man sits at a desk at work, the greater his chances are of being overweight. Sitting for long hours also puts you at risk of back pain, particularly if you sit with poor posture, leg cramps, tense muscles and, of course, boredom.
Tips for Sitting Less and Getting Healthy
Standing up requires your muscles to work to support your weight and hold you upright, to the extent that it can double your metabolic rate. In fact, the average person can burn 60 extra calories each hour just by standing instead of sitting. Over the course of a day, this can add up to a lot of beneficial health effects.
The good news is you’ve already accomplished the first step to sitting less, which is realizing that you probably should. Next, take the opportunity to stand rather than sit as often as you can. Stand while watching your kids play at the park, stand while you talk on the phone or watch TV, etc.
If you want to take standing one step further, you can also incorporate some simple yet highly beneficial stretches into your daily routine. In 15-20 minutes you can even complete Jacques Gauthier’s wonderful Stretching Toward a Healthier Life DVD, which helps you to keep your body out of a sedentary position and moving instead.
Your body can only tolerate being in one position for about 20 minutes before it starts to feel uncomfortable, according to the Mayo Clinic. So about every 15 minutes, stand, stretch, walk around or change your position for at least 30 seconds.
The more you do this, the more accustomed to it you’ll become -- and the more you stand instead of sit, the better your health will be.
Recommended Reading
Americans Spend HOW Many Hours a Day Watching ‘Screens’? The Consequences … and Help
How to Sit at a Desk All Day and Still be Healthy
Sources
ScienceDaily.com June 1, 2008
ScienceDaily.com November 20, 2007
International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders. 2003 Nov;27(11):1340-6
American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2005 Aug;29(2): 91-97

How To Stay Healthy While You Sit

Americans spend nearly eight hours a day sitting (and another four hours watching TV and playing computer games) according to a Harris poll conducted by the America On the Move Foundation. Now consider your own day. How many hours per day do you spend sitting at a desk, either in your office or at home?Chances are it's a pretty substantial amount of time. Between work and the endless number of things people now use computers for, you may easily be spending more time at your desk than anywhere else, which is why learning how to sit at a desk and still be healthy is so important.The Downfalls of Sitting Too MuchIn general, sitting (whether at a desk, in the car or elsewhere) for too long is not a health-promoting thing to do. For one thing, it can cause you to gain weight. A study in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders found that those who had high daily levels of sitting (7.4 hours or more) were significantly more likely to be overweight or obese than those who reported low daily sitting levels (less than 4.7 hours a day).A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine even found that the longer a man sits at a desk at work, the greater his chances are of being overweight.Sitting at a desk all day also puts you at risk of back pain, particularly if you sit with poor posture, leg cramps, tense muscles and, of course, boredom.Healthy Tips for Sitting at Your DeskMany of us don't have a choice and must work at a desk, at least for a portion of our day. During this time, use the following tips to keep your mind and body at their best.
Keep your body in a neutral position. This means that your joints are naturally aligned, reducing your risk of stress and strain on the muscles, tendons, and skeletal system and developing a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD), according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). To achieve a neutral body position:
Adjust your chair so your thighs are parallel with the floor.
Choose a chair that supports your back, including the curve in your lower back (if not, place a rolled up towel or pillow behind your lower back for support).
Your hands, wrists and forearms should be in-line and roughly parallel to the floor.
Your head should be in-line with the torso and at a level, balanced position (or just slightly forward).
Your elbows should be close to your body, bent at a 90- to 120-degree angle.
Your shoulders should be relaxed and upper arms hanging naturally next to your body.
Your feet should be flat on the floor or supported by a footrest.
Your chair should be well-padded.
Move around often. Your body can only tolerate being in one position for about 20 minutes before it starts to feel uncomfortable, according to the Mayo Clinic. About every 15 minutes, stand, stretch, walk around or change your position for at least 30 seconds.
Reduce repetitive movements. Movements that you repeat over and over (such as answering the phone or reaching for a book) can lead to strains and stress. Reduce unnecessary movements as much as possible by keeping items you use often within arm's reach and using tools, such as a phone headset, to reduce repetitive movements. You should also alternate the hand you use to operate your computer's mouse.
Keep your computer monitor in a healthy position. This means directly in front of you, but at least 20 inches away. The top of the screen should be at or below your eye level, and it should be perpendicular to the window (to reduce glare), according to OSHA.
Look away from your computer screen often. Focusing on a computer screen for too long can lead to dry eyes and eye fatigue. Be sure to change your focus often, looking at a point in the distance, and blink regularly to keep your eyes moist.
Use a document holder. It should be at the same height and distance as your computer monitor (holders mounted to the monitor are ideal).
Keep your keyboard and other office accessories clean. Keyboards, phones and other office equipment are breeding grounds for germs. Desks themselves can even harbor more bacteria than a toilet seat!
Declutter your desk. About 40 percent of U.S. office workers say they are "infuriated" by too much clutter on their desks. Save yourself this mental strife by taking a few minutes each day to go through papers. Throw away those you don't need and file those you do.
Don't keep junk food at your desk. The temptation is simply too high to eat the junk, and subsequently feel sluggish, tired or guilty. Instead, keep a supply of healthy snacks nearby to satisfy your hunger in a smart way. Great snack ideas include cut-up vegetables, a few nuts, fresh fruit, a hard-boiled egg, etc.
Make your desk your own. While keeping away from too much clutter is good, adding a few items that mean something to you will make your desk more enjoyable to work at. Some items to consider include a few pictures of family or friends, a plant, inspirational posters or paintings for the wall, and any other mementos that make you feel good.References:
International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders. 2003 Nov;27(11):1340-6.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2005 Aug;29(2): 91-97.
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
America on the Move