There are three major ways in which sitting for a long time is bad for you, says Daniel Lieberman in his book Exercised. He is a professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He studies how and why the human body is the way it is, with a primary focus on the evolution of physical activity.
Today, billions of people have no choice but to sit much of the day, and then after an exhausting day of sitting, they follow deep-seated instincts to save a few more calories by sitting at home to relax.
In one study, Lieberman and his colleagues studied how sitting in chairs affects our backs. They found that rural teenagers in Kenya who rarely sit in chairs with backrests have 21% to 41% stronger backs than teenagers from the city who regularly sit in modern chairs. Professor Lieberman wrote:
It is reasonable to conclude that those of us who regularly sit in chairs with backrests have weak back muscles that lack endurance, making it uncomfortable to sit for long on the ground or on stools. The result is a vicious cycle of chair dependency.
So, if you think you are already chair dependent, here are the three major ways in which sitting for long might be bad for you:
1. Every hour spent resting comfortably in a chair is an hour not spent actively doing things.
2. Long periods of uninterrupted inactivity harmfully elevate levels of sugar and fat in the bloodstream.
3. Hours of sitting may trigger our immune systems to attack our bodies through a process known as inflammation.
How can exercise (and movement in general) help:
- It encourages the healthy, effective dilation of your blood vessels, which translates into better blood flow both during and after your exercise.
- Moreover, it eliminates the fats and cholesterol that accumulate in the bloodstream. The result is less hardened plaque in the arteries and more blood flow
- It strengthens your heart so it can pump blood more efficiently throughout your body.
- It improves aerobic capacity, meaning your lungs are better able to absorb oxygen into your bloodstream to send around your body.
If you wish to have more healthy movement in your week, why not try a yoga class. I am teaching in-person in Streatham’s St. Leonard’s Church Hall on Mondays at 7 pm and online on Fridays at 9 am.
Do come and join us. Movement is life!
See you on the mat!
Related articles:
Celebrating slow movement in a fast paced world
Sitting all day? This 5 minute movement snack can help
