If you sit for 6-8 hours a day, you are 44% more likely to develop bowel cancer, and twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Some research even likens sitting to smoking. Even after taking into account the moderate to vigorous activity you might do on a daily basis, there’s still an increased risk in developing these adverse health conditions. These are some grim facts, but thankfully, you can certainly improve your health by reducing your sitting time.
The musculoskeletal benefits of reduced sitting include the reduction of load and stiffness in the neck and lower back. Other benefits include improved cardiovascular health, increased energy metabolism and increased productivity, as well as reducing the obesity epidemic in Australia.
What are the other risks of sitting too much?
Recent research has shown that, from a medical perspective, sitting increases your chances of developing cancer and other chronic diseases. However, form a physiotherapy perspective, the impact of sitting is even more instant. When we treat clients that have a desk-based job, we can usually see a decrease in the range of rotation of their upper back and neck.
Hip flexors, as well, are commonly affected by sitting. Due to the shortened position, sitting can cause them to stiffen up considerably. This causes a problem is the person then needs to run or perform other upright activity that requires loose or lengthened hip flexors.
Our Sports Focus physios can work with you to show you the best sitting position, utilising your core muscles. But the body can’t hold a single, static position for an entire work day, so it’s important to not sit too much.
Avoid causing serious problems to your health and start changing the way you sit. Contact us today to learn more about improving your health.
