How Sitting Just Might Kill You

An alarming amount of research is showing just how bad sitting is for your health. 

And I LOVE facts! But, unlike many facts, these are useful!

• Brain function SLOWS when we sit. By moving fresh blood to muscle groups, you are supplying your brain with fresh oxygen.. which helps with cognition & mood!  

• 8 hours or more of sitting can increase the chances of kidney disease (which affects a lot of people, by the way).  >26 million Americans. 30% women. 15% men.

• Sitting can shorten & tighten you hip flexor muscles, which limits range of motion and stride length. Some studies suggest this is why old people fall! & what happens when an elderly person falls and breaks a hip.???.. well, nursing home & death in just 6 months! That's a real statistic that was drilled into my brain in nursing school during an entire class on geriatrics. Yes, I took a class where all I did was learn about old people.

• When you slump in a chair, your abdominal muscles go unused which builds pressure in your lower back. This can lead to hyperlordosis (over-arch in back enough to cause muscle pain & spasms). Sitting also puts you at risk for developing a herniated lumbar disc.

• Sitting allows your glutes to go unused, which hurt stability and your ability to push off while walking.

• A 2013 study done by the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that out of 2,000 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, those who spent at least six hours sitting down had a 36% higher chance of dying than those who had sat for less than three hours/day!

• Sitting causes varicose veins!!! along with swollen ankles and blood clots.. (smokers, elderly people, and women on birth control pills!!!)  (:

People who watched TV in an 8.5 year study had a 61% greater risk of dying who watched less than one hour/day.

The risk of death increases with hours of TV watched per day...

   <4%                       14%                  31%                   61%

1-2 hours              3-4 hours          5-6 hours            7+ hours

But WHY?!

You might be sitting right now!

As soon as you sat down:

 -the enzymes that break down fat cut back 90% !

 -you burn a single calorie/minute (I realize I told you to stop counting calories HERE, but I  know it is hard to unlearn things).

 -all leg muscle activity turns off.

After 2 hours:

 -your body will experience a 20% decrease in your GOOD cholesterol.

After 1 day:

 -your insulin effectiveness drops by 24% following a day of sitting.

special Newsweek issue: Your Body

"But, Nancy, I have a desk job!!!!" 

Well good thing I found these handy images of stretches i stole from this website that you can do right at your desk..

 13 is SO good!  (:

But seriously, from what I have gathered, moving around a little bit through out the day is better for you than sitting all day and trying to compensate with an intense workout.

Comments, feedback, recipes, & suggestions are ALL welcome (:

Take care of yourself.