Sitting is Smoking
By Chantal van den Hoogen
Doctors claim that sitting down is the new smoking, apparently it’s that bad for you! Who would have thought so?! I guess that
makes lying down as bad for your health as doing cocaine. Don’t worry though, I’ve found some helpful tips to counteract the
hazardous effects of prolonged sitting! But first, what exactly is so bad about sitting?
Here’s how you can reboot your
body to cancel out the dangers of
being sedentary for a long time.
Your muscles weaken – and
even degenerate - resulting into
getting back and joint pains.
Ouch!
First and foremost, regular exercise counterbalances prolonged sitting. So, try to fit a zumba
or combat class into your daily routine. You might
even get a kick out of it!
Can’t focus in class? Feel
sleepy in lectures? This is
because your brain switches
off and takes a nap when
you’re seated for
too long.
Blood flow in your legs declines
when sitting down for a long time
which could result in (attention
ladies!) varicose veins, and you do
not want that! Also, poor circulation
could have a fatal consequence
known as deep vein thrombosis.
Once again, don’t freak out, it is
quite rare for that to happen.
Take the stairs instead of the lift, easy but very
effective!
Leave the bike and just go by foot. Research
shows that a long walk triggers more metabolic activity than an intensive short activity like
biking.
Get up! Sounds logical, right? But simply getting
up for a coffee, water or toilet break triples your
energy expenditure.
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