Sitting, and working from home.

Working from home.

If you are working from home, most likely you are sitting. Sitting and in front of a computer for hours. Prolonged sitting is very dangerous for health. Prolonged sitting can even kill you. It is very important to be disciplined when working from home. No one is watching you, and you will be doing it whenever you feel like it, at any time of the day.

Not working from home.

On the other hand, we have Gamers, who are not working from home. Gamers are notorious for sitting long periods of time, without taking breaks. Very dangerous. Another reason to pay attention is how long our children are sitting watching TV, or playing games.

Take a break.

If you find yourself sitting for long periods of time, take a break. Use a timer to remind you when to get up and take a break. Take a walk, do some squats, do anything to engage your body in movement.

Dangers of proloned sitting.

Sitting is an incredibly common posture that most of us assume throughout our daily lives. Sitting for hours at a time can cause all sorts of health problems, but it's really important to take breaks and give your muscles a workout. When you sit for extended periods of time, your gluteal muscles are forced to relax completely, blood flow decreases.

What does prolonged sitting do to your body?

Prolonged sitting tightens your hip flexors, which can cause a lot of pain and stiffness in your lower back. It also shortens your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves, which alters the alignment of your joints and can lead to injury.

By taking breaks from prolonged sitting every 20 minutes or so you help to give your muscles some much-needed time to relax and rehydrate. This can be done by standing up, walking around, or even just stretching, depending on how long you've been sitting for.

Does prolonged sitting effect your heart?

Sitting for hours at a time can increase your risk of cancer, obesity, and heart disease. Even if you exercise regularly, it's still important to take frequent breaks from sitting, because the health risks are still there.

It has been found that our metabolic rate is lowered by as much as 90% after just 30 minutes of sitting down.

How do yo increase your metabolic rate?

Certain postures can help you to boost your metabolism and burn more calories, no matter how long you have been sitting for. Hanging leg raises are a great way to strengthen your core and help it work as efficiently as possible, as well as working on flexibility which will also increase blood flow.

By standing up you automatically engage muscles in the abdominals, back, shoulders and buttocks. Postures where you are standing while leaning forward also help to burn more calories by engaging the muscles in your buttocks even further.

When sitting for long periods of time it is important to take stretch breaks every 20 minutes or so, just to give your body a break from that position.

Does your blood get pooled from prolonged sitting?

Sitting for too long can cause your blood to pool in your legs and this decreases the amount of oxygen and nutrients that reach your muscles, reducing their ability to burn calories.

When you sit with your legs crossed or ankles tightly bound together, it forces one leg or side of your body to do all the work: cutting off circulation and decreasing the amount of oxygen getting to the muscles.

It's a good idea to avoid sitting with your legs crossed whenever possible, and instead keep your feet flat on the floor or rest them on a low stool.

When you sit down, try not to sit for longer than 30 minutes without getting up and moving around. You can do this by standing up, walking around, or stretching.

How to prevent pooling blood by standing up every 30 minutes.

Keep your legs about hip-width apart and turn your feet out slightly so that you are resting on the full sole. Bring your shoulders back so that you are sitting up tall. Keep your head level with the ground, eyes forward, and take a deep breath in.

Keeping your knees bent, lean forward from your hips and place your hands on top of your legs just above the knee. Gently press down to feel a stretch through the muscles in your thighs and lower back.

Release the stretch with an exhalation and sit up tall again. You can repeat this movement several times or hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.

Lean slightly to the right and press your back against the inside of your right thigh, allowing gravity to pull you forward. With an exhalation, push your left hip out toward the ground and lean a little more deeply into the stretch. You can also bend your left knee and let it fall to the ground to intensify the stretch.

Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.

How good is a standing desk in helping with prolonged sitting?

If you are working at a desk, have an exercise ball handy to help maintain good posture. If it is not possible to stand up every 30 minutes during your workday, try making every hour into a standing hour.

When getting up from your desk for the first time each hour, take one step away and stretch your arms overhead for a few seconds. Take a second step away to lean back slightly at the waist, hinging at the hips. Then take the third step away and lower your arms out in front of you, palms down.

Start by doing this for 15-20 minutes every hour during your workday.

In conclusion.

All of the above tips will help you burn more calories and feel better during your day. You can try out a few or all of them to see which ones work best with your lifestyle.

If you have been sitting for too long, it is time to get up now and stretch those muscles! Make this part of your daily routine.