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Good afternoon, dear readers! In today’s rhythm, a sedentary lifestyle is a common occurrence. But, unfortunately, not everyone is aware of the consequences, which in the near future may manifest themselves in the form of various diseases of the organs and systems of the body. These diseases are not always completely cured, so they can become a burden for life. Today we’ll talk about how to minimize the risk of consequences if you still can’t completely abandon inactivity.
Why is immobility dangerous?
A sedentary lifestyle (inactivity) is an insufficient physical activity of an individual in the course of his life.
The abundance of information technology and a variety of modern gadgets save us from the need for constant or long intensive movement throughout the day. Many people work in offices and at home at computers, rarely get up from their workplace in order to stretch their arms, legs, or just move around.
On the one hand, this is a lesser burden on the body, but on the other hand, it is a danger. Thus, we do not strain our muscles, we do not train them, which in the future can turn into various kinds of diseases for us.
The results of the study of scientists
According to recent studies, a sedentary lifestyle negatively affects its duration. Those who spend 5 or more hours in a sitting position for 10-8 years live about 15 years less than those who sit less than 3 hours a day.
Such studies were carried out by implanting special biomarkers and measuring the key states of the body, which is in a sitting position for a long time.
Conversely, in those who began to spend less than 8 hours a day in a sitting position, biomarkers began to decline, and the level of insulin in the blood returned to normal. Consequently, the risk of developing coronary heart disease, endocrine and oncological diseases decreased.
The consequences of a sedentary lifestyle in terms of biology
The natural level of blood and lymph flow decreases with low physical activity. They stagnate in the body, which leads to the production of bad cholesterol. In addition, the electrical activity of the muscles is significantly reduced, their tone is lost, lethargy and flabbiness appear.
Posture at this time also suffers greatly. It often happens that a person is not just sitting, but is in a position with a curved spine. The duration and unnaturalness of such loads is the main reason for the development of scoliosis, which in many cases may not be completely cured.
A failure in all the vital processes of the body causes the appearance of one or, as often happens, several ailments at the same time, which are poorly treated or can become chronic.
Metabolic disorders, excess weight, lethargy, fatigue — such factors should become a signal for a person that something is wrong with him. This is the body letting you know that it’s time to change the conditions or, if possible, reduce the load.
Diseases from immobility
With insufficient motor activity, a malfunction occurs in the functioning of the whole organism, as well as its individual organs. All calories that were consumed with food throughout the day must be absorbed, and toxins removed.
When a person does not move enough, this rule is not fulfilled, since there is no need to waste energy. In this case, the metabolism is disturbed. An excessive amount of harmful substances accumulated by the body is not removed from it, which causes a clear deterioration in well-being.
Bad state of health
Most of those who have had to deal with insufficient physical activity, sooner or later may experience:
- a significant decrease in the flexibility of the spine;
- apathy, depression;
- hands and feet begin to grow numb and cold;
- difficulty falling asleep in the evening and waking up in the morning;
- soreness;
- lethargy, constant fatigue.
Diseases
The consequences could be even more dire. As a result of the conditions mentioned above, diseases such as:
- Osteochondrosis and scoliosis. These diseases develop due to insufficient load on the spine. Since the joints do not move, salts are deposited in them, which can cause blockage of normal blood circulation.
- Obesity. Eating is not followed by physical activity. Consequently, a sedentary lifestyle causes the accumulation of unused resources in the body, which accumulate in the form of body fat.
- Constipation. Sitting position is unnatural for our body. A long stay in this state negatively affects the intestines, peristalsis is disturbed and constipation occurs. If this happens, then in addition to physical exertion, you also need to undergo an appropriate examination by a specialized doctor to resume a normal state.
- Constant headache. Significant overstrain of the cervical spine is its main cause.
- Phlebeurysm. Many have noticed how, after a working day spent in a sitting position, the lower limbs hurt. This happens due to stagnation of venous blood. Over time, the tone of the walls of the veins weakens.
- Problems with the reproductive system. For both men and women, sitting for a long time has a negative impact on the reproductive system. The reason is the stagnation of blood in the pelvic area. According to statistics, it is for this reason that the number of infertility diagnoses has increased significantly.
But what to do if this way of life cannot be completely abandoned? How to minimize the harm of working at a computer or activities that require being in a sitting position? Everything is very simple! It is necessary to minimize its negative consequences. And the best way out of this situation will be regular exercise.
8 Exercises to Prevent Disease
What leads to inactivity, we have already figured out. Now let’s define a set of exercises that will help to cope with the negative consequences of insufficient physical activity:
1. Every hour for 15 minutes it is worth changing the position of the body. You can walk, stand, run, or just actively move your limbs in a standing position. This will make it possible to resume normal blood circulation and, as a result, normal blood supply to all organs and systems of the body.
2. If it is not possible to get up from the table, you can do the following:
- bend-unbend the legs at the knees;
- perform circular rotations of the feet;
- tilt and move the head in a circle;
- strain and relax the muscles of the buttocks;
- turn the body left and right;
- tense and relax the muscles of the back;
- raise the toes of the feet without lifting the heels off the floor;
- squeeze-unclench fingers and toes.
3. Stretch or do periodic tilts left and right.
4. Lean forward as low as possible, trying to reach your toes with your fingers.
5. Simulate walking with high knees.
6. Daily morning exercises. This should become an integral part of your day. Few do it at home before work. This is done by people who know for sure that 20 minutes spent exercising in the morning will more than pay off with normal well-being throughout the day until the evening.
7. Go for walks as often as possible. Force yourself to leave the house 20-30 minutes earlier and walk quietly to work. You will see how after a week or two you no longer want to use transport. While walking, you will have time to think, distract yourself, admire the surrounding nature and, most importantly, stretch your muscles and prepare yourself for sedentary work.
8. Spend the weekend in nature. Everyone knows that prevention is much more useful and cheaper than treatment. An active lifestyle is the key to the normal functioning of all organs and systems. If you lead an active lifestyle, you do not expose your body to the risk of diseases and pathologies.
Conclusion
Timely work on yourself, regular physical activity, and, if necessary, seeking advice from a specialized specialist will become your assistants with inactivity. Remember that any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. And it’s much healthier for your health.
I recommend reading the articles in our health section. There you will find many ways to support your body.
Stick to these simple rules! Let your work bring you only pleasure!
The material for the article was prepared by Yulia Gintsevich.