Sitting for long stretches can seriously undermine your well-being, according to Harvard Medical School.
Following too sedentary a routine is closely linked to weight gain, disrupted blood sugar levels, heart-related conditions, dangerous blood clots and a cluster of metabolic disorders that quietly damage long-term health, continues Harvard Medical School.
1. Your Sitting Time Matters
According to Medical News Today, risk levels are broadly classified as follows:
- Minimal concern: Being seated for under four hours in a day
- Moderate concern: Remaining seated between four and eight hours daily
- Elevated concern: Sitting for roughly eight to eleven hours a day
- Severe concern: Spending in excess of eleven hours a day in a chair
2. Can Shorten Your Lifespan
Remaining seated for long, uninterrupted hours raises the likelihood of dying sooner from various causes, and crucially, this risk persists even among those who exercise consistently each day, says WebMD.
3. Piles On The Kilos
Sitting burns far fewer calories than moving, so desk jobs will let you lose fewer calories a day than more physical, on-your-feet work, increasing the risk of gradual weight gain and obesity, explains leading US medical centre, Mayo Clinic.
4. Triggers Body Pain
Long spells of sitting can also intensify physical discomfort. Even for those who stay fairly active, it can shorten the hip flexors and hamstrings, while causing the joints to become rigid and less mobile, says Harvard Medical School.
5. Sitting Affects Circulation
Remaining seated for long periods may slow circulation, especially in the lower limbs and over time this reduces blood movement and may result in issues like swollen legs and general discomfort, informs Medical News Today.
6. Too Much Sitting May Age The Brain
Spending excessive time on your bottom has been linked to brain changes that closely resemble those seen in people with dementia, states WebMD, raising concerns about its impact on long-term cognitive health.
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