Whether you’re working, commuting or simply lounging around the house, you probably spend a significant amount of time sitting.
According to a survey conducted by Ergotron, the average American sits for 13 hours a day. And that figure doesn’t include sleeping!
While there’s nothing wrong with kicking back and relaxing on occasion, a sedentary lifestyle, the so-called sitting disease, can wreak havoc on your heart, contributing to chronic disease and illness.
What Is The Sitting Disease?
The sitting disease is a catch-all term used to describe the negative ways in which a sedentary lifestyle affects your health.
With the modern-day technological revolution, millions of people now sit for long periods of time while watching TV, playing video games or using social media. Unfortunately, this takes a toll on a person’s health over time.
Metabolic syndrome, for instance, is often associated with a sedentary lifestyle. People who sit for long periods of time day after day are more likely to develop high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and excess body fat than their physically active counterparts. These conditions are collectively referred to as metabolic syndrome.
How Sitting Affects Your Heart
The amount of time you spend sitting plays an important role in your heart health.
According to JustStand.org, 30% of heart disease cases are linked to sedentary lifestyles. When you spend most of the day sitting, it slows down the rate at which blood circulates throughout your body. This subsequently increases your risk of heart disease in the process.
The heart is a muscle, and like all muscles, you must exercise it to keep it healthy and functional. When you sit all day, your heart weakens and isn’t able to pump blood effectively.
When investigating the health effects of a sedentary lifestyle, U.K. researchers found that sitting increases the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke by 147%. Researchers also found that people who sat the most had higher rates of diabetes and early mortality from all causes.
What You Can Do?
There are ways to protect yourself and your heart from the sitting disease, however.
The American Heart Association (AHA) specifically recommends 150 minutes or more of moderate cardio exercise or 75 minutes or more of intense cardio exercise per week to promote a healthy heart. Whether you prefer jogging, cycling, swimming, rowing, climbing stairs or even dancing, engaging in cardio exercises on a regular basis will
keep your heart healthy.
You should also limit the amount of time you spend in front of the computer or TV. It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re watching your favorite show. Therefore, you should break up your activities with bouts of exercise in between. Alternatively, consider standing and exercising while you watch TV.
Don’t let a sedentary lifestyle increase your risk of chronic disease. Take the first steps today towards a healthier life.
6 Risks of A Sedentary Lifestyle
It’s probably not coming as any big news flash to you that exercise and smart nutrition combine for an unbeatable system of health, vitality and wellness in both mind and body, from head to toe. Besides, if you live to be 70 or 80, but the last 40 years of your life are plagued by health problems because you decided you would rather sit and lounge your way through life rather than being active, is that really living?
Check out these 6 serious health risks directly related to a sedentary lifestyle and see how you don’t have to run a marathon or start throwing around heavy weights to get healthier.
