Sitting- This Generation’s Smoking

Studies have shown that the tendency of people to be inactive has drastic health consequences. Heart disease, obesity, and diabetes are just a few of the diseases correlated to inactivity. With the rise in popularity of video games, television and computers, sitting has become the new norm. People spend hours at work in front of a computer screen, sit in their cars through their daily commute and then come home and sit in front of the television for the whole night. Routine and exhaustion turn this habitual lifestyle into a vicious cycle that creates unhealthy living habits.

We’ve been told for years that smoking kills. We have seen the warnings on cigarette packages, on public service announcements and listened to countless experts tell us the health risks involved with smoking. We know it’s unhealthy. We also know that over-indulgence in fatty foods and drinking alcohol are also unhealthy.

However, many people don’t consider inactivity to be of the same caliber. Since it involves not doing something as opposed to actively making an unhealthy choice, it gets minimized in the grand scheme. This is dangerous thinking.

There needs to be a surge back into activity. Motion is crucial for the body to perform. Setting a goal of being physically active everyday is something that every person should strive towards.

Taking micro breaks at work in order to get out of a sustained posture is important. Whether that means simply getting up and doing a lap around the office, or actually getting out of the building and walking outside during lunch break, breaking up the day with some form of activity is good for the whole body. Many people do not have the luxury of changing their commute to work, but going for daily walks or workouts at home is an easy way to start being active.

Sitting puts a large strain on the spinal joints and can eventually lead to pain or dysfunction. Activity helps both mental health and physical health, which can help to combat pain and stiffness.

Ensuring your work station is ergonomically friendly can also prevent some of the strain on joints. Simple adjustments to raise the monitor level to eye level and keeping shoulders and elbows in a neutral 90 degree configuration can help alleviate some of the postural stresses involved with sitting.

Try and make a healthy decision today. Get up!