A study made in 2014 branded sitting as the “new smoking.” According to the research, a sedentary life is not only connected to weight problems but also runs a higher risk of cancer, heart diseases, and even death. Note the key word: sedentary.
The World Health Organization lists physical inactivity as the fourth leading cause of non-communicable diseases. Before you worry about your desk job, note that it’s not the sitting that’s actually harmful but the lack of movement during your 9-to-5 shift. Sedentary workers could work around this situation by alternating between sitting and standing throughout the day.
In addition, there are two factors that can determine if sitting is a risk factor among adults: the type and context of sitting. Sitting at work is completely different from sitting in front of the TV at home. The latter is the one usually linked to long-term health risks like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A word of warning for couch potatoes: People who spend most of their time sitting and watching TV tend to have poorer mental health and eat unhealthy foods.
These studies tell us the health risks of excessive TV and physical inactivity, but not so much about sitting per se. That said, if you spend most of your day sitting, here are five moves you can do at home that can help reverse the rigidity you experience from being sedentary.
Deadlift and Upright Row
This move will strengthen your lower and upper back, buttocks, and hamstrings.
Side Lunge and Ab Twist
A whole body workout is essential to combat stiffness from inactivity. This move tones your quads, buttocks, and obliques.
Plank Hip Dips
I swear by this move even before I succumbed to a sedentary job. It’s a great twist to the classic plank and it tones your entire body.
Bent Leg Half Superman
This move strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and your lower back.
Rock the Boat
This is another whole body workout that activates your core.
To wrap this up, I think sitting (for long periods of time) is still a big part of the much wider problem of physical inactivity. Move more, smoke less, and you won’t feel the need to quit your job anytime soon.
Workout moves courtesy of Tone It Up.