Sunday, March 19, 2017

Sitting Risks; if more than 45 minutes at one sitting ...

Sit at 135 degree posture, spine weight spread evenly.

Image result for 135 sitting posture


Image result for sitting posture 135 degree

What are the risks of sitting too much?
Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels. Too much sitting also seems to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

One study compared adults who spent less than two hours a day in front of the TV or other screen-based entertainment with those who logged more than four hours a day of recreational screen time. Those with greater screen time had:

  • A nearly 50 percent increased risk of death from any cause
  • About a 125 percent increased risk of events associated with cardiovascular disease, such as chest pain (angina) or heart attack
The increased risk was separate from other traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as smoking or high blood pressure.
Sitting in front of the TV isn't the only concern. Any extended sitting — such as behind a desk at work or behind the wheel — can be harmful. What's more, spending a few hours a week at the gym or otherwise engaged in moderate or vigorous activity doesn't seem to significantly offset the risk.
The solution seems to be less sitting and more moving overall. You might start by simply standing rather than sitting whenever you have the chance or think about ways to walk while you work. For example:
  • Stand while talking on the phone or eating lunch.
  • If you work at a desk for long periods of time, try a standing desk — or improvise with a high table or counter.
  • Walk laps with your colleagues rather than gathering in a conference room for meetings.
  • Position your work surface above a treadmill — with a computer screen and keyboard on a stand or a specialized treadmill-ready vertical desk — so that you can be in motion throughout the day.
The impact of movement — even leisurely movement — can be profound. For starters, you'll burn more calories. This might lead to weight loss and increased energy. Even better, the muscle activity needed for standing and other movement seems to trigger important processes related to the breakdown of fats and sugars within the body. When you sit, these processes stall — and your health risks increase. When you're standing or actively moving, you kick the processes back into action.
Image result for sitting posture 135 degree

Don’t just sit there!
We know sitting too much is bad, and most of us intuitively feel a little guilty for a long TV binge. But what exactly goes wrong in our bodies when we park ourselves for nearly eight hours per day, the average for an adult? Many things, say four experts, who detailed a chain of problems from head to toe.
Organ damage
the health hazards of sitting
Heart disease
Muscles burn less fat and blood flows more sluggishly during a long sit, allowing fatty acids to more easily clog the heart. Prolonged sitting has been linked to high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol, and people with the most sedentary time are more than twice as likely to have cardiovascular disease than those with the least.
Over productive pancreas
The pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that carries glucose to cells for energy. But cells in idle muscles don't respond as readily to insulin, so the pancreas produces more and more, which can lead to diabetes and other diseases. A 2011 study found a decline in insulin response after just one day of prolonged sitting.
Colon cancer
Studies have linked sitting to a greater risk for colon, breast and endometrial cancers. The reason is unclear, but one theory is that excess insulin encourages cell growth. Another is that regular movement boosts natural antioxidants that kill cell-damaging
— and potentially cancer-causing — free radicals.
Muscle degeneration
Mushy abs
When you stand, move or even sit up straight, abdominal muscles keep you upright. But when you slump in a chair, they go unused. Tight back muscles and wimpy abs form a posture-wrecking alliance that can exaggerate the spine's natural arch, a condition called hyperlordosis, or swayback.
Tight hips 
   Flexible hips help keep you balanced, but chronic sitters so rarely extend the hip flexor muscles in front that they become short and tight, limiting range of motion and stride length. Studies have found that decreased hip mobility is a main reason elderly people tend to fall.
Limp glutes
Sitting requires your glutes to do absolutely nothing, and they get used to it. Soft glutes hurt your stability, your ability to push off and your ability to maintain a powerful stride.
Leg disorders
Poor circulation in legs
Sitting for long periods of time slows blood circulation, which causes fluid to pool in the legs. Problems range from swollen ankles and varicose veins to dangerous blood clots called deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Soft bones
Weight-bearing activities such as walking and running stimulate hip and lower-body bones to grow thicker, denser and stronger. Scientists partially attribute the recent surge in cases of osteoporosis to lack of activity.
Mortality of sitting
People who watched the most TV in an 8.5-year study had a 61 percent greater risk of dying than those who watched less than one hour per day.
Hours of TV per day:
1-2 (4% risk of dying);
3-4 (14% risk of dying);
5-6 (31% risk of dying);
7++ (61% risk of dying).
Trouble at the top
 Foggy brain
Moving muscles pump fresh blood and oxygen through the brain and trigger the release of all sorts of brain- and mood-enhancing chemicals. When we are sedentary for a long time, everything slows, including brain function.
Strained neck
If most of your sitting occurs at a desk at work, craning your neck forward toward a keyboard or tilting your head to cradle a phone while typing can strain the cervical vertebrae and lead to permanent imbalances.
Proper
vertebrae
alignment
Sore shoulders and back
The neck doesn't slouch alone. Slumping forward overextends shoulder and back muscles as well, particularly the trapezius, which connects the neck and shoulders.
Bad back
Inflexible spine
When we move, soft discs between vertebrae expand and contract like sponges, soaking up fresh blood and nutrients. But when we sit for a long time, discs are squashed unevenly. Collagen hardens around tendons and ligaments.
Disk damage
People who sit more (than 45 minutes at one sitting) are at greater risk for herniated lumbar disks. A muscle called the psoas travels through the abdominal cavity and, when it tightens, pulls the upper lumbar spine forward. Upper-body weight rests entirely on the ischial tuberosity (sitting bones) instead of being distributed along the arch of the spine. Lumbar region bowed by shortened psoas .
So what can we do? The experts recommend . . .
Sitting on something wobbly such as an exercise ball or even a backless stool to force your core muscles to work. Sit up straight and keep your feet flat on the floor in front of you so they support about a quarter of your weight.
Stretching the hip flexors for three minutes per side once a day.
Walking during commercials when you're watching TV. Even a snail-like pace of 1 mph would burn twice the calories of sitting, and more vigorous exercise would be even better.
Alternating between sitting and standing at your work station. If you can't do that, stand up every half hour or so and walk.
 Trying yoga poses — the cow pose and the cat — to improve extension and flexion in your back. See pose diagram above.
The experts, Scientists interviewed for this report:
James A. Levine, inventor of the treadmill desk and director of Obesity Solutions at Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University.

Charles E. Matthews, National Cancer Institute investigator and author of several studies on sedentary behavior.

Jay Dicharry, director of the REP Biomechanics Lab in Bend, Ore., and author of "Anatomy for Runners." 

Tal Amasay, biomechanist at Barry University's Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences.
I'm surprised that the article doesn't discuss the impact of sitting w/ large muscle groups of thighs, glutes and lower back flexed thus using lots of blood oxygen and nutrients and producing lots of carbon dioxide and the impact of this on the human brain considering human brains use 50% of oxygen and nutrients in the blood simply to maintain homeostasis.   A working hypothesis I've come to from my own experiences, especially in last four years, of having everything taken from me in Morehead City, Carteret County, North Carolina, Washington, DC; Temple Hills, Prince Georges County, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia, by gov't officals, mostly police seated in squad cars enforcing non-existent laws, laws not based on data or simply not following the law, is that sitting is causing our human brains not to get enough oxygen and nutrients and too much carbon dioxide thus producing lots of fearful/negative thinking....  Just thoughts but seems they could be easily tested to collect "data." Future experiments could be set up to test the "null" hypothesis that sitting doesn't have an effect on blood oxygen, nutrients and carbon dioxide levels. Ironically, those who do research for $$ don't typically test the "null" hypothesis of whatever it is their "promoting." Not unlike, James A. Levine, who's invented a treadmill that he's selling or anyone else who's paid $$ for their "research." 

Statistics about "How sitting is causing fatality, mortality and dreadful diseases from countries like USA, UK, Australia, Canada and other.

Unfortunately, the list doesn’t stop there..
But we can act now and overcome our sedentary life by staying active.
1. WHO - World Health OrganizationTaking everything into account, the World Health Organization reports that being physically inactive comes in fourth as a leading risk factor for death. The WHO report also mentioned that” Inactivity was found to be the main cause of about a quarter of breast and colon cancers, 27 percent of diabetes cases, and 30 percent of heart disease cases.”Source - World Health Organization.
2. Too Much SittingEven when adults meet physical activity guidelines, sitting for prolonged periods can compromise metabolic health. TV time and objective-measurement studies show deleterious associations, and breaking up sedentary time is beneficial. Sitting time, TV time, and time sitting in automobiles increase premature mortality risk. Further evidence from prospective studies, intervention trials, and population-based behavioral studies is required.Source - US National Library of Medicine

3. Why sitting too much is bad for your healthOne of the largest pieces of research to date on the subject - involving almost 800,000 people - found that, compared with those who sat the least, people who sat the longest had a:
• 112% increase in risk of diabetes
• 147% increase in cardiovascular events
• 90% increase in death caused by cardiovascular events
• 49% increase in death from any cause 
Source - National health Science, UK
4. How Desk Jobs Ruin Your HealthThis grim conclusion may surprise you, but 18 studies reported during the past 16 years, covering 800,000 people overall, back it up. Several studies show that “Americans sit for most of their waking hours, 13 hours every day on average”.
5. Too Much Sitting: Health Risks of Sedentary Behaviour and Opportunities for ChangeToo much sitting is now recognised as a prevalent health Rapid advances in the science of sedentary behaviour are beginning to influence public health and occupational health thinking and have potentially important clinical implications.Source - Presidents Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition
7. Sitting increases your risk of getting cancer in a very big way
Based on a study of more than 220,000 residents in New South Wales, researchers found that the longer you spend sitting down every day, the higher the risk of dying prematurely, even if you engage in regular daily exercise. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that adults who sat for more than 11 hours a day had a 40 percent increased risk of dying within 3 years- from any cause- compared with those who sat for less than 4 hours a day.

The American Institute for Cancer Research held its annual conference early in 2012 and highlighted at that conference were specific research findings showing that 49,000 cases of breast cancer and 43,000 cases of colon cancer in the U.S. could be linked to inactivity.
Source - The American Institute for Cancer Research
8. Sitting for prolonged periods increases risk of death, disease: studyProlonged time spent sitting and being sedentary is associated with an increased risk for heart disease, cancer and death, regardless of physical activity, according to a new study.

The meta-analysis review, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, examined 47 different studies that looked at sedentary behaviour and a range of negative health outcomes
.
The review found that prolonged periods spent sitting was associated with a greater risk for all-cause mortality, heart disease incidence and death, cancer incidence and death, and Type 2 diabetes in adults.
Source - CTV National News Canada
9. The Truth About “The Truth About Sitting Down”How Sitting Wrecks Your Body?
As soon as you sit:
• Electric activity in the leg muscles shuts off
• Calorie burning drops to 1 per minute
• Enzymes that help break down fat drop 90%
After 2 hours: Good cholesterol drops20%
After 24 hours: Insulin effectiveness drops24% and risk of diabetes rises
Source -  The Research Headlines
10. Australian Workplace and SittingThe average Australian worker spends almost 33 hours per week at the workplace. Those working full time in jobs that involve ‘mostly sitting’ spend on average 6.3 hours per day sitting at work.

Many Australians are sitting longer than they are sleeping - sitting longer than 8hrs a day can increase risk of early death by 15%- focus on breaking up long periods into shorter periods by getting up and moving"

While most of the evidence to date relates to the health effects of overall sedentary behaviour, a high proportion of workers are exposed to prolonged sitting at work and there is a growing amount of evidence on adverse health effects associated with sedentary work.  Sedentary work may occur in both office-based occupations as well as other occupations which may have less scope for changed postures, such as call centre staff, crane operators and truck drivers.
Source - Safe Work Australia
11.The News on Sitting Down; You May Want to Stand UpHumans weren't designed to sit all day. As such, sitting for long periods is a serious occupational health and safety problem. When your daily routine includes sitting for extended periods, the muscles in your legs that normally help pump blood aren't used much and as a result, blood can flow backwards in leg veins and pool, causing varicose veins and blood clots.Source - Canadian Centre For Occupational Health and Safety
12. Australians spend one month a year sitting watching TVAustralian adults spend on average four hours per day doing sedentary leisure activities such as watching television compared with only half an hour of physical activity, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today.
Dr Paul Jelfs, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, said the 2011-12 data reveals a tendency for high levels of sedentary behaviour across the adult population.
Source - Australian Health Survey
Statistics about "How sitting is causing fatality, mortality and dreadful diseases from countries like USA, UK, Australia, Canada and other.
1. Taking everything into account, the World Health Organization reports that being physically inactive comes in fourth as a leading risk factor for death. The WHO report also mentioned that” Inactivity was found to be the main cause of about a quarter of breast and colon cancers, 27 percent of diabetes cases, and 30 percent of heart disease cases.Source - World Health Organization
2. Too Much Sitting
Even when adults meet physical activity guidelines, sitting for prolonged periods can compromise metabolic health. TV time and objective-measurement studies show deleterious associations, and breaking up sedentary time is beneficial. Sitting time, TV time, and time sitting in automobiles increase premature mortality risk. Further evidence from prospective studies, intervention trials, and population-based behavioral studies is required.
Source - US National Library of Medicine
3. Why sitting too much is bad for your healthOne of the largest pieces of research to date on the subject - involving almost 800,000 people - found that, compared with those who sat the least, people who sat the longest had a:
• 112% increase in risk of diabetes
• 147% increase in cardiovascular events
• 90% increase in death caused by cardiovascular events
• 49% increase in death from any cause 
Source - National health Science, UK
9. Australian Workplace and SittingThe average Australian worker spends almost 33 hours per week at the workplace. Those working full time in jobs that involve ‘mostly sitting’ spend on average 6.3 hours per day sitting at work.

Many Australians are sitting longer than they are sleeping - sitting longer than 8hrs a day can increase risk of early death by 15% - focus on breaking up long periods into shorter periods by getting up and moving"

While most of the evidence to date relates to the health effects of overall sedentary behaviour, a high proportion of workers are exposed to prolonged sitting at work and there is a growing amount of evidence on adverse health effects associated with sedentary
work. 

Sedentary work may occur in both office-based occupations as well as other occupations which may have less scope for changed postures, such as call centre staff, crane operators and truck drivers.Source - Safe Work Australia10.The News on Sitting Down; You May Want to Stand UpHumans weren't designed to sit all day. As such, sitting for long periods is a serious occupational health and safety problem. When your daily routine includes sitting for extended periods, the muscles in your legs that normally help pump blood aren't used much and as a result, blood can flow backwards in leg veins and pool, causing varicose veins and blood clots.Source - Canadian Centre For Occupational Health and Safety11. Australians spend one month a year sitting watching TVAustralian adults spend on average four hours per day doing sedentary leisure activities such as watching television compared with only half an hour of physical activity, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today.
Dr Paul Jelfs, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, said the 2011-12 data reveals a tendency for high levels of sedentary behaviour across the adult population.
Source - Australian Health Survey

Unfortunately, the list doesn’t stop there..
But we can act now and overcome our sedentary life by staying active.
13. Impact of sitting and television viewing on life expectancy in the USA The estimated gains in life expectancy in the US population were 2.00 years for reducing excessive sitting to <3 1.38="" a="" and="" br="" day.="" day="" excessive="" from="" gain="" h="" of="" reducing="" television="" to="" viewing="" years="">
In 2010, for example, the journal Circulation published an investigation following 8,800 adults for seven years. Those who sat for more than four hours a day while watching television had a 46 percent increase in deaths from any cause when compared with
people who sat in front of the tube for less than two hours. Other researchers have found that sitting for more than half the day, approximately, doubles the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

Overall, when you combine all causes of death and compare any group of sitters with those who are more active, sitters have a 50 percent greater likelihood of dying.
Source - Killer chairs
3. Americans are increasingly becoming inactive and risking their health.
More Americans Lived A Sedentary Lifestyle In 2014; Number Of Physically Active Hits Lowest In 6 Years
Americans reduced their physical activity in 2014, despite the exploding popularity of wearable fitness trackers and apps, marked by a burgeoning market offering countless options.
On Wednesday, the Physical Activity Council (PAC) released its 2015 Participation Report, which found that 82.7 million Americans, or 28.3 percent, matched the council's definition of physically inactive last year.



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