According To A Study, These Are The 5 Reasons Sitting Too Much Is Bad For Health

Illustration of sitting too much at work (Unsplash/Leon)

JAKARTA – Sitting is a daily activity that cannot be avoided. Starting from working, eating, chatting with family, to watching screens on gadgets and television. According to a number of studies, it turns out the effect is enormous on health.

If you are a person who has a duration of sitting for more than 8 hours, it is recommended to compensate by standing, walking, or exercise that can reduce the bad risk of too much sitting.

Quoting from PhillyVoice, Monday, October 25, the first risk when not taking a break in sitting activities causes the hip flexor muscles to become shorter. This can cause hip joint problems and affect the health of the spine and lead to disc degeneration.

When you work sitting down, pause every 1-2 hours to walk across the stairs or ask the desk to stand up to reduce sitting time.

The second reason, based on a study found that people who sit for more than 8 hours a day without physical activity have the same risk of death as people who are obese or smoke.

Jacob Mayer, director of the Wellbeing and Exercise laboratory at Iowa University, recommends getting regular exercise to minimize the risk of harm. Because exercise, especially in a pandemic situation where activities are limited, has a positive effect on physical and mental health.

The third reason, Mayer's research shows that replacing long periods of sitting with light activities can improve mood and lower body mass index. Even better, it can improve sleep quality and reduce stress.

Mayer's research is supported by other studies that prove a strong relationship between physical activity and a reduced risk of anxiety and depression. A further reason that you should reduce your sitting position is the results of studies that found every 150 minutes of physical activity to compensate for 8 hours of sitting each day can reduce the risk of chronic stress.

The fifth reason, experts say that people who have not started their sports activities more often feel tired. This study was conducted during a pandemic, so the more you are at home, the more activity duration is needed in addition to sitting down.

A number of tips recommended by Harvard Health, you can compensate for the amount of time sitting by taking small steps. Such as choosing to take the stairs instead of the elevator, schedule a walk every morning or evening after work, do regular stretching exercises while working, and clean the house or tidy up the garden are also one of the activities that can be done to reduce the bad risks of sitting too much.