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We are all accustomed to sitting for long periods of time. Why? Because we are conditioned to think that it is the norm. In fact, millions of people earn a living from a job that requires them to sit for about eight hours a day; Nine to five office jobs are the most common. What if sitting is bad?
If it’s not for your profession, people are traveling, eating, and relaxing while sitting. So none of us are strangers to that sitting posture. However, despite being normal, studies have shown that sitting for long periods of time is not good for your health. The study was conducted by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and involved 874 participants. Researchers have found shocking things that will surely make you jump off your feet and start standing up right now.
According to the report, older women and men who sit for at least fifteen hours a day have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. However, the researchers also took into account the fitness regime of the participants. Even if we sit for long periods of time, about 40 percent of those who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Studies show that sitting for long periods of time is bad, but sitting is bad for people who do not exercise. The study concluded that if you sit for long periods of time depending on the nature of your work, be sure to take your daily exercise dose to minimize the risk of prolonged sitting.
The study found that people who did not sit for 12-13 hours every day and did not exercise regularly were more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. According to the study, if you fall into this category, you may be included in the cluster of cardiovascular risk factors.
In a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors, there are a number of different diseases as well as individual symptoms that can be combined to cause a more serious health problem. For example, high waist circumference, high blood pressure and diabetes are problems in their own right. But, they are high in triglycerides and cholesterol, creating what is known as metabolic syndrome.
To put it bluntly, sitting still without a conscious effort to be active can put you at risk for diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke. But even smaller effects still make an impact. For example, a high waist circumference may seem like one of your least concerns, but in the end it can restrict movement and make it more difficult to exercise below the line.
There are many similar studies that have shown that a sedentary lifestyle kills as many people as smoking a year. When you consider that cigarettes are entirely responsible for the deaths of more than 480,000 Americans a year, you will realize how bad sitting is to your health.
Moreover, NTNU researchers’ critical argument was that “fitness plays an important role in successful aging and can protect you against the adverse health effects of sitting.”
Thus, sitting is bad. What are you going to do about it? Overall, increase your activity levels and lead a healthier lifestyle. However, studies have shown that fitness is not the end of everything, because you need adequate cardiovascular fitness to combat the harm of sitting. Basically, you should try to sit down less throughout the day.
Don’t forget to read this article which is important for your health as well.
