Most of us are aware that our bodies weren’t made for sitting down all day.
Yet, more than half of us spend a good portion of our average day parked in a seat, sedentary and mostly unaware of the underlying risks of our inactivity. So, as we type away at our desks, binge watch our favourite shows, and opt to sit whenever we can, what’s actually happening to our bodies? A number of things, actually:
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Muscle Atrophy
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Hip and Back Changes
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Your Risk Of Anxiety And Depression Increases
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Neck And Shoulder Pain
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Weight Gain
Muscle Atrophy
A few of our most important muscles in the body take the brunt of the consequences from sitting down all day. Our larger leg muscles and glute muscles can begin to weaken and atrophy, causing instability and strain when we attempt to be active, leading to potential injuries and other muscular and skeletal complications.
Hip And Back Changes
Sitting for long periods without stretching or taking a walking break can cause your hip flexor muscles to become shorter and may lead to injuries, strains, and other problems in your hips when you’re active. Without good posture and properly supportive furniture, sitting for long periods can compress your spine, lead to ongoing posture problems, and cause degeneration in your spinal discs.
Your Risk Of Anxiety And Depression Increases
Studies have found a link between people who sit more, and people who are more prone to anxiety and depression. Whilst there’s more work to be done on the ‘why’, it’s possible that people who are more sedentary miss out on physical activity and its natural anti-depressant qualities.
Neck And Shoulder Pain
If you sit at a desk all day, you’re probably no stranger to the stiffness and soreness that can appear in your neck and shoulders every day. A lot of this can be put down to poor posture and furniture that isn’t ergonomically supporting your body. Most people aren’t sitting in sound postural positions, but rather hunched, slouched, or slanted in some way that causes increasing strain on your neck and shoulders.
Weight Gain
It’s no secret that the less your body moves, the more risk you are at gaining unwanted weight. This is because exercise is designed to help your digestion system process the sugar and fat you consume, burning off that energy instead of storing it. When you’re sitting all day, your muscles aren’t moving, your extremities aren’t pumping, and your digestion slows to a crawl as a result, leading to weight gain and potentially other complications as a result.
You can read more about this in our article on The Consequences Of Bad Posture And if you’re after a solution, read our article on Exercise And How To Motivate Ourselves To Get Moving
But before that, why don’t you stand up and go for a short walk? Better than sitting down!