Body & Mind

Get off that chair: this is what too much sitting does to you

By Sophie Rietmulder | #!30Sat, 01 Apr 2023 10:45:13 +0200+02:001330#30Sat, 01 Apr 2023 10:45:13 +0200+02:00-10Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam202330 01am30am-30Sat, 01 Apr 2023 10:45:13 +0200+02:0010Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam2023302023Sat, 01 Apr 2023 10:45:13 +02004510454amSaturday=9#!30Sat, 01 Apr 2023 10:45:13 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam4#04-01-2023#!30Sat, 01 Apr 2023 10:45:13 +0200+02:001330#/30Sat, 01 Apr 2023 10:45:13 +0200+02:00-10Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam202330#!30Sat, 01 Apr 2023 10:45:13 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam4#

Bold type women sitting on the couch in the evening with a laptop on their lap

I know, yet another article about how you need to stand more, written by someone who currently has exactly 418 steps on her pedometer. At three o'clock in the afternoon. Still, I think you might want to listen to this. Research has shown that we have all been sitting and/or lying down more than ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and this has serious consequences for our health. Researchers even call our physical inactivity a global epidemic that needs to be addressed now.

This is due to the following: when we spend most of our time sitting or lying down, our leg muscles do not work. The largest muscles in our body then take in minimal fuel from the bloodstream. As a result, these muscles do not release substances that break down fatty acids in our blood. Consequently, metabolism slows down and the regulation of blood sugar levels is affected. These changes result in an increase in sugar and cholesterol in the bloodstream, which in turn increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

In addition to the decline in your physical health, too little standing also negatively affects the health of your brain. Researchers from the University of Los Angeles discovered that spending most of your time sitting is linked to the thinning of a part of the brain that is crucial for memory formation. Physical activity proved insufficient to compensate for the damage caused by prolonged sitting and/or lying down, which in this case means that prevention is indeed better than cure.

If you feel addressed by this (I'm not saying anything at the moment), it's fortunately not too late to do something about it. Just standing more can already help. This reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and various cardiovascular diseases. Getting those legs moving is of course even better for your health. This also reduces the risks of all sorts of unpleasant diseases, but is also super good for your mental health. It has been shown that regular exercise is incredibly effective in combating anxiety and panic attacks.

What exactly does regular exercise entail? According to experts, the golden ratio is to move for at least three minutes every thirty minutes. This helps keep your blood sugar levels stable, making you feel healthier and reducing the risk of diabetes and other diseases that no one wants. Well, learned something again. I'm going to take a walk (or six).

Source: Verywell Mind | Image: Philippe Bosse/Freeform