Let's Stop All The Sitting and MOVE! :)
Hey friends!
Most adults in this country find themselves sitting down a LOT. Driving in the car, working at a desk, eating their meals, coming home from a long day and sitting on the couch to unwind in front of the TV...
Sometimes sitting down a lot can be really cute, but for most of us it's not!
It's true that with modern technology has come great convenience, but also has come a huge decrease in overall physical activity for most people.
I think it's this detail alone that's responsible for most adults' unfavorable body composition changes, but it's the detail that's easiest to forget and most commonly overlooked.
By sitting down all the time in one spot, we are essentially using NO energy. That means very little calorie burn, which typically means fat gain. It also hurts us physically in terms of creating problems with our posture, changes in the tone of some of our important skeletal muscles (tightening, loosening, lengthening, shortening) in questionable ways that can cause some pretty major dysfunction in our bodies.
Also, some research out there has suggested that sitting too much can increase the risks of cardiovascular problems, circulatory issues, and metabolic syndrome... I think lots of information gathering is still being done on this topic, but I personally wouldn't want to risk these things just by planting my ass into a chair!
Basically, the message is this... Sit less. Move more.
It's pretty easy if you put your mind to it!
Here are some ways you can help yourself out:
Take frequent breaks to get up from your desk and walk around
Get a standing desk
Do a few squats in your cubicle while you're on the phone
Ride your bike to work instead of driving
Use your lunch break to take a long walk or get a workout in
After work, do an exercise or yoga video instead of binge-watching netflix on the couch, or take a walk outside with a loved one
This is less specifically related but helpful nonetheless: get more physical activity IN GENERAL. Hit the gym, go for a run, head to a fitness class. Park your car in the farthest corner of the parking lot, take the stairs instead of the elevator, carry a grocery basket instead of pushing a cart... It all helps and adds up over time! Any moment you're not stationary is a better moment for your health!
All of these are simple things that can help break up all that sitting in your life, and feel free to add anything and everything you can think of to get you on your feet and out of that chair!
When I worked at my desk job, I always drank extra water just so I could get up and go to the bathroom all the time... It was a double win for me - I was super hydrated AND got to get up and move! :)
How do you keep from sitting all day long?
Please feel free to comment, upvote, or resteem if you'd like! :)
You had me with the kittens...hehe. I sit pretty much all day at my home office desk. I drink lots of water so I do get up to use the restroom quite a bit throughout the day. lol, and I will walk to the mailbox. I try and play basketball once or twice a week, so I do get some exercise. haha, my fingers sure get a workout, typing, and clicking the mouse though. ;-)
Oh good haha! The kittens always help haha ;) haha good for you - getting up for any reason is always good! And totally, thanks to computers and texting we all probably have strong-ass hands and fingers these days haha! :D
yes kittens always help. haha yes we do have some strong fingers! haha, maybe not as strong as mine used to be back in my rock climbing days. haha
@annemariemay. Fantastic post. Yes. Sitting is crazy bad for you in large amounts. Sometimes I get so engrossed with my work I forget to get away from my desk & move. Thank you. -resteemed-
Thank you so much @steemcafe! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks a million for the resteem!!! :)
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What if I do a lot of VR moving >_>
Lots of arm flailing (; < _ >)/
Hahaha!!! Welllll..... ;) ;) ;)
:D
Those kittens!
Have you seen Exhaust at all? You earn Steem when you put in your hikes, and it captures all your data in a dashboard, has you add pics of your hikes and furfamily and is generally pretty ace.
100% agree on moving... I use a standing desk, and it is only marginally better than sitting... but moving around, even a little bit makes such a massive difference!
Aren't they precious?? They belong to my mom and dad... Because of their breed they have short tails, so they look like little bobcats :)
Oh wow, I'll have to check out Exhaust!! Santa Barbara is an incredible place to hike but I'll admit I rarely go... That would be a great way to motivate me to get out there and scale some mountains! :)
So glad we're on the same page - that's great that you have a standing desk! It's pretty rare still... Thanks as always for the kind comments and support! :)
I'm very conscious of this, working form home on my laptop means sitting a lot of the time. My neighbours must think I'm mad as they would often see me walking laps of my driveway or up and down the street just to move the body a bit more!
Hahaha that's AWESOME! Maybe your neighbors just need to get to your level of healthy!!! Good for you, keep that up :D
Spot on. Sadly, most people are forced into a sedentary lifestyl due to work.
So true, isn't it? But we've gotta do what we can to break the all day sitting patterns... Sounds corny, but our lives actually do kind of depend on it!