When people sit for a long time, they often feel discomfort and fatigue. It is worth noting that when sitting for a long time, the organs in the body are also undergoing subtle changes. People who sit for a long time, their organs are slowly changing.
1. Heart: Slowly getting “bigger”
A study published in the “Scand J Med Sci Sports” in April 2023 showed that teenagers sitting for long periods would make their hearts “heavier.”In this study, the average teenager spent nearly 8 hours sitting and engaged in about 49 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise daily. Although both sitting and moderate-to-high-intensity exercise are associated with larger left ventricular mass, sitting for long periods will make the heart “heavier” and has nothing to do with whether the teenager is fat or thin. For adults, for every 5g/m2.7 increase in heart mass, the risk of cardiovascular disease and death will increase by 7% to 20%.
Image from “Scand J Med Sci Sports”
2. Your butt will slowly get bigger
Sitting for a long time has a side effect – Dormant Butt Syndrome (also known as Gluteal Amnesia). If you sit for a long time, your gluteal muscles will forget how to recover, and they will remain relaxed even when you stand up or exercise. Gluteal amnesia will make your buttocks flat and loose, which is very unsightly, and will also affect the functions of other parts of the body, such as thick thighs and back pain.
3. Prostate congestion and hypertrophy
The prostate is located at the bottom of the human pelvic cavity. When sitting upright, the center of gravity of the human body is in the middle. Maintaining the same sitting posture for a long time will inevitably compress the prostate, which will lead to poor blood circulation over time. The presence of inflammation, congestion, and hypertrophy may lead to the development of prostate diseases.
In real life, sitting for a long time is sometimes unavoidable. How can we offset and reduce the harm of sitting for a long time?
1. Use every opportunity to move
You can set an alarm clock on your mobile phone or use a timer. Get up and walk around every half an hour, drink water, or use the toilet. You can do cervical spine activities or upper limb exercises while walking to relax your muscles.
In addition, when sitting, you can also:
(1) Shake your legs and stand on tiptoe: Shaking your legs can promote blood circulation and increase the body’s energy consumption.
(2) Stretch your waist and stretch your body: Stretching can help relieve muscle fatigue, tension, and poor blood flow in the neck, shoulders, waist, back, and calves. You can stretch your waist, turn your head and body while sitting, lift your legs hook your feet, etc., but the movements should not be too strong or too fast, and it is best to supplement with deep breathing.
2. 22 minutes of moderate to high-intensity exercise
For people with decent physical fitness and regular exercise habits, you can try moderate to high-intensity exercise after warming up. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that compared with 8 hours, people who sit for more than 12 hours a day can offset the increased risk of death as long as they do “moderate to high-intensity exercise” for ≥ 22 minutes a day.
3. Choose a pressure relief cushion
Choosing an ergonomically designed cushion can provide better support and comfort, and reduce the pressure on the buttocks and lumbar spine from sitting for a long time. Anti-decubitus air cushion is a good choice, adopts an ergonomic design to reduce the discomfort caused by sedentary. The internal hollow design protects the prostate and prevents hemorrhoids, friendly for males. The outer airbag is high and the inner airbag is low, wrapping the buttocks while protecting the coccyx.
In short, we can effectively reduce the harm of long-term sitting to the body by taking measures such as taking exercise whenever possible, stretching and relaxing properly, exercising at moderate to high intensity, and using suitable cushions. At the same time, we should also pay attention to adjusting the working environment and maintaining good living habits to maintain overall health.