Not many of us would be aware to the fact that sitting is among the worst things that can do great damage to your body. As per studies, sitting for merely 20 minutes on a chair forms blood pools within our legs and creates immense pressure to the spine. You can very well imagine its impacts over a considerable period of time. For virtually every popular job you can name today, jobs are mostly desk bound which involves long hours of sitting and gazing at the computers. You must start wondering that this is probably case with you. You need not worry about the health consequences, as there are a range of tips that can be easily followed and help in preventing serious injuries. Mere standing up off and on or taking frequent breaks can work wonders.
Discomfort tends to arise when you sit at a single place for a considerable period of time. It leads to numbness and at times spine misalignment. With your body in an upright position, there is a chance that it would lead towards creation of tension on major joints and muscles. The overall reflection of saying this is to indicate towards the fact that the increasing stationary time spent during work could lead to several cardiovascular diseases and other health issues. This includes reduced blood flow, shortening of hamstrings, pinching of nerves, and several other physical damages in the longer run.
Why is it so unnatural to sit?
A curios question that arises out of this research is why is it believed to be so unnatural? As per Dr. Jan Lefkowitz, a popular chiropractor from New York says that most of the clients work anywhere between 50-80 hours a week. He states that nerve problems, herniated discs, joint pains, body pain, etc. are all causes of long working hours. He states, sitting for the long time creates lots of pressure over the spine. The human body is built to stand which is why it is pretty stressful to maintain a seated position for a long time. The body weight gets distributed while we are standing which is not possible while we are sitting. Kelly McGonigal who is health psychologist at the Stanford University states that while sitting we distort natural curve of our spine. It means that the back muscles need doing something for holding the back in shape as you are not using natural curves of spine for lifting the body against gravity.
As high as 80% Americans are believed to experience chronic pains during their life. Desk work is something that is putting the huge mental as well as physical stress on the health conditions. Moreover, to top on to it, bad postures are even worse which results in diseases as dangerous as Slipped discs. In case of posture break downs, there is an immense possibility of leading to a lot of spinal problems. With good postures when sitting it helps in maintaining natural curves for the healthy spine. It makes the neck forward with upper back having an outward curve and lower back staying inward. Elbows should be on sides of our body while the shoulders should be relaxed.
Image credit: Elena Elisseeva