#inactivityandcancer

[anjanarajguru]

Prolonged Sitting And Inactivity Can Be Deadly.

In times of yore, our forefathers had far greater physical activity than us. There was little or no television, a large part of the Indian population engaged in agriculture/farming, children walked to schools and adults to offices. There were no fancy electrical kitchen gadgets and women engaged in much more physical activity while cooking and doing household chores than they do now. Gadgets have seemingly simplified our lives and made it easier for us. But have they made it healthier? We are hooked to television, computers, play stations, video games, cell phones, I- pads and what not and we are doing all this by just sitting all day long. Earlier, there were no e-commerce sites selling you grocery with home delivery options. People walked to grocery and other stores to buy what they wanted. Nowadays, with the so-called advancements, one need not step out of the house for anything. 

There weren't too many apartments and far less those which had elevators. People took the stairs but now, we press the elevator button if we have to go even one floor. There wasn't the crazy traffic that we experience today in every major city. Most households have more than one vehicle but earlier people travelled lesser distances and mostly used public transport, which meant walking to the bus stop or tram/train station or even cycled to their destinations. But now, we take out our vehicles for even walkable distances. Students are spending more time sitting in schools and colleges, and office-goers during their commute to work, apart from being seated in their offices all day long.

Over the years, the time that we spend on physical activity has reduced drastically. Our sedentary lifestyles have taken over us and are threatening our lives. The World Health Organization(WHO) defines physical activity as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths globally and the WHO says that one in ever 3 adults is not active enough and people who are insufficiently active have a 20% to 30% increased risk of death compared to people who are sufficiently active.

How Prolonged Sitting Affects Us

Sitting, according to recent studies, has been found to be deadlier than smoking. Sitting for long hours leads to many physical and even mental problems. It affects the blood flow and can lead to deep vein thrombosis and even cause varicose veins as blood pools in the legs due to lack of movement. Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed that women who sit for 10 or more hours a day may have a significantly greater risk of developing heart disease than those who sit for five hours or less. Sitting reduces the blood flow which in turn leads to muscles burning less fat which means more fats clogging the heart.

Risk of Type 2 diabetes goes up significantly as the body develops insulin resistance. 

Risk of metabolic syndrome increases.

Risk of various types of cancers like breast, colon, rectum, prostate and the lungs goes up significantly due to inactivity.

Neck, hip, back, spine and shoulder problems increase when you sit in front of a computer or play video games for too long. The spinal disc gets compressed and become stiff when you sit for long and that can be very painful.

Over time, inactivity leads to weak bones which makes one prone to fractures.

Digestion slows down when you sit for too long. Walking after a meal has been shown to aid digestion and even lower blood sugar levels.

Since you burn lesser calories, the rick of obesity too increases manifolds. Obesity is the cause of other major health problems.

Muscle atrophy and degeneration sets in. Inactivity leads to loss of muscle strength.

You are more likely to be depressed if you are not active. Physical activity causes the release of feel good hormones like endorphins and serotonin. So, if you don't indulge in physical activity, you are more likely to be broody.

Research has suggested that sitting for eight hours cannot be compensated by an hour of exercise. Apart from regular exercise, in every hour, if you are sitting for 50 minutes, ensure ten minutes are spent standing, walking or engaging in any physical activity. In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, prolonged sedentary time was independently associated with deleterious health outcomes regardless of physical activity. Researchers looked at 47 studies examining the relationship between sitting and mortality and found that people who sit for long periods were 24 percent more likely to die from health problems during the studies, which lasted between 1 and 16 years, compared with people who sat less.

If you are leading a completely sedentary lifestyle, make a small beginning. Something is better than nothing. Our bodies are like machines, if they are not used regularly, they malfunction and body processes stall. Make a conscious beginning today, however small it might be. The human body is not designed to sit all day long. Keep moving. 

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