5 Health Problems Caused by a Sedentary Lifestyle

With the advantage of modern technologies, a huge number of people switched to sedentary work. This can feel a lot better than spending the whole day on your feet. But, like many pleasant things, motionless pastime on a chair has many negative consequences.

1. Weight gain
Movement helps your body to produce the enzyme, which controls the number of lipids in the blood and helps to process fats and sugar absorbed with food. A sedentary lifestyle leads to a lack of the enzyme, which negatively affects the body's ability to burn fat. And as a result, you can start to get fat. Sitting for long periods of time increases the risk of metabolic syndrome. This is especially true for people who sit for a long time and avoid any kind of exercise. But, even people who don’t do sports can burn extra calories when walking, standing, or even fidgeting in the chair. So it is recommended to avoid sitting still. If during the working day you have the opportunity to just get up and walk for a bit, then do at least that.

2. Early death risk
Observations of the health status of about one million subjects showed that people who sit during a large portion of a day are a lot more likely to die at an early age. The risk of early death in sedentary people increases by 22 to 49%.

A lack of physical activity is responsible for 6% of deaths worldwide. A sedentary lifestyle is the main cause of approximately 21 to 25% of cases of breast and colon cancer, 27% of cases of diabetes, and approximately 30% of cases of coronary heart disease.

3.Bone and muscle pain
Sitting hunched in an uncomfortable chair for a long time can put you at significant risk of neck pain development. Lack of physical activity negatively affects the penal bones and back muscles. This leads to chronic pain that can make it difficult to move in the future. The result is a vicious circle: your muscles hurt because you don't move much, and you don't move much because your muscles hurt.

4. Diabetes and heart disease
Researchers link a sedentary lifestyle to almost 30 chronic diseases. Sitting for a long time can increase the risk of developing heart disease. Lack of physical activity can increase your insulin resistance, which is the main cause of type 2 diabetes.

5. Anxiety and depression
A sedentary lifestyle can lead to the development of depression and anxiety. Sitting for 8 to 10 hours a day can enlarge your risk of developing a serious depressive disorder. Many psychologists state that an inactive lifestyle can increase the chances of depression.

Lack of physical activity can lead to increased stress levels. If you are engaged in sedentary work for more than 6 hours a day, you are more prone to exhaustion. An inactive lifestyle can make it harder to cope with stressful life situations.

The bottom line
Don't let a sedentary lifestyle lead you to major health problems. Constant sitting subjects your spine to tremendous amounts of stress and strain. To avoid irreparable consequences for your health, try to get up once an hour and take a little walk for at least a few minutes. Visit live meetings with your colleagues instead of sitting in front of a monitor in the conference room for a long time. Try to give up the chair if you work at a desk. Buy a table with adjustable height and do your business standing up. Some manage to work even while walking on a treadmill.