Risks In Too Much Sitting

Researchers have linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels.

Too much sitting also seems to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

One recent study compared adults who spent less than two hours a day in front of the TV or other screen-based entertainment with those who logged more than four hours a day of recreational screen time. Those with greater screen time had:

• A nearly 50 percent increased risk of death from any cause
• About a 125 percent increased risk of events associated with cardiovascular disease, such as chest pain (angina) or heart attack

The increased risk was separate from other traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as smoking or high blood pressure.

Sitting in front of the TV isn't the only concern. Any extended sitting — such as behind a desk at work or behind the wheel — can be harmful. What's more, spending a few hours a week at the gym or otherwise engaged in moderate or vigorous activity doesn't seem to significantly offset the risk.

Rather, the solution seems to be less sitting and more moving overall. You might start by simply standing rather than sitting whenever you have the chance.

For example:

• Stand while talking on the phone or eating lunch.
• If you work at a desk for long periods of time, try a standing desk — or improvise with a high table or counter.

Better yet, think about ways to walk while you work:

• Walk laps with your colleagues rather than gathering in a conference room for meetings.
• Position your work surface above a treadmill — with a computer screen and keyboard on a stand or a specialized treadmill-ready vertical desk — so that you can be in motion throughout the day.

The impact of movement — even leisurely movement — can be profound. For starters, you'll burn more calories. This might lead to weight loss and increased energy.

Even better, the muscle activity needed for standing and other movement seems to trigger important processes related to the breakdown of fats and sugars within the body. When you sit, these processes stall — and your health risks increase. When you're standing or actively moving, you kick the processes back into action.

Sitting for extended periods of time on a consistent basis, like at work or home (or both) could be the root cause of many running injuries that manifest themselves through running and any other fitness activities. According to Matt Fitzgerald in his book “Brain Training for Runners”, sitting causes major muscle imbalances whereby some muscles become extremely tight and others extremely weak. According to Fitzgerald and sportsinjurybulletin.com, these imbalances can cause pain in the lower back, reduce fitness performance, and promote injuries like runner’s knee and IT band syndrome among many others.

Our muscles work constantly to maintain balance with one another. To explain it simply, let’s use the bicep/triceps pair as an example. If you bend your arm to a 90 degree position you will notice that your bicep tightens while your triceps relax to allow that movement. Now relax and straighten your arm. Your bicep relaxes while your triceps tighten and contract to straighten your arm out. Now, take that example and apply it to every movement you make in your body. That same thing occurs while running and explains our natural disposition for movement.

Sitting causes only some muscles to contract or flex while never allowing the other balancing muscles to do anything. According to Fitzgerald and sportsinjurybulletin.com, the most common sign of muscle imbalance due to sitting a lot (which is nearly all of us) is weakness or tightness in the following muscle pairs: deep abdominal muscles and hip flexors, buttocks and hips, and hamstrings and quadriceps.

You can protect yourself from the punishing side effects of sitting by incorporating several beneficial habits, stretches, and strengthening activities into your daily routine

• Correct Sitting Posture: Correct posture can almost alleviate all muscle imbalance issues caused by sitting. To initiate correct posture, place your monitor at eye level if at all possible. Avoid slouching to engage the abs. Keep your mouse close to your body and your feet comfortably flat on the floor. Also, make sure your chair has a high and straight back rest. Some people also use a physio-ball to achieve good posture.
• Move Around: It’s very important to move around as often as possible. Thissoftware will help remind you to move around at certain time intervals. You should move around once every 20 to 30 minutes for at least 3 minutes at a time. Consequently, your legs will be refreshed by the influx of oxygenated blood and you will begin to feel more awake. Oh, and this will give your eyes and mind break, too.
• Exercise Weak or Underused Muscles: Wherever you are most comfortable, do sit-ups, pushups and/or other various core related strength exercises just before lunch or during an extended break.
• Stretch: Stretch out your hamstrings, hip flexors, shoulders, neck and back throughout the day. 

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/sitting/expert-answers/faq-20058005

http://www.runnersforum.com/special/why-sitting-causes-injuries.html