You have legs, use ’em!
Those of us who have been working desk jobs from home have probably been getting a lot of use out of our behinds lately, huh? We sit down to work, we sit down to watch Netflix, we sit down to eat dinner; there’s a lot of sitting going on. The thing is, though, and I can tell you this from experience, you need to be careful about how much sitting you do in a single day. Sounds weird, right? What’s wrong with sitting? If you also stand and walk around, then nothing. But if your butt is planted in the same place all day for days on end, don’t be surprised if your stomach starts getting annoyed with you.
Spending long, sedentary periods on your butt can cause blood to pool in your lower intestine and legs. This can lead to problems like varicose veins and hemorrhoids, both internal and external. Intestinal problems like hemorrhoids can also increase your risk for diseases like colon cancer. Sitting can also mess with the flow of your blood, which can lead to cardiovascular conditions and heart disease.
Long periods of sitting are also bad for your mood. Studies show that those who spend more time sitting down exhibit higher risk rates for anxiety and depression. It’s not quite known whether this is a direct cause thing or just a lack of positive physical stimulation from exercise, but that’s kind of a to-may-to to-mah-to situation.
Sitting can also undo leg and lower back-centric exercise. When you take pressure off your legs and depend instead on your lower body to hold you up, your leg muscles aren’t getting properly stimulated, which can cause atrophy.
Obviously, if you work a desk job (or just got home from a long one), you’re not going to be able to avoid sitting, and that’s okay. Just make sure that’s not all you’re doing.
