It’s a sad but realistic sign of the times that we even need to talk about this! Our bodies were designed to move yet our modern life style confines us to chairs in front of screens - at least for many of us - many hours every day. Whether we use a computer for work or spend time with our smart phones on Facebook and Instagram, we’re sitting, sitting, sitting.
Sitting has been called “the new smoking.” How dangerous is too much sitting? Here are some of the problems that can develop:
According to WebMD, too much sitting can hurt your heart, shorten your life, contribute to dementia, undo the value of regular exercise, increase risk of developing diabetes, contribute to weight gain, increase anxiety, wreck your back, lead to varicose veins, increase your risk of cancer,
Movement is different than exercising. Exercising is a specific activity, like working out in the gym or walking in the woods. Movement is, or should be, part of our day’s routine. We may and should exercise every day. But we should be moving all day long. This means developing the movement habit. If you have a desk job, that may require setting a timer on your phone to remind yourself to get up every 30 minutes or so to stretch.
BENEFITS OF MOVEMENT
Regular movement is beneficial in every way imaginable. Moving can shift our mood, for instance depression can be successfully addressed (not cured) with exercise. Movement keeps our joints and muscles healthy, is good for our back, increases energy, and decreases fatigue.
DOING IT
Doing this healthy habit is described in a single word: MOVE!
Even a minute of stretching makes a huge difference but it needs to become a habit, so that we are doing it all day long, constantly interrupting our sitting to give our bodies a break. If you’d like to get more formal, here’s the link to a four-minute workout from Zach Bush that you might want to try. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwJCJToQmps
