Have you been feeling stuck and sitting all day as we are housebound due to the coronavirus or working from home during this time?
What about life before the coronavirus, possibly due to your job? Maybe you retired, and your schedule has changed with life slowing down. Maybe you are in school, or, both – work and school. Do you have limited mobility due to health reasons?
What do you do if your job requires you to sit all day? First, ask yourself, is it the job or is it you? Do you bypass breaks? Do you have lunch at your desk because your job is so demanding?
Are you an entrepreneur that has to do it all?
With your studies, do you feel like you don’t have time for breaks?
With limited mobility, are you making an effort to get around with your walker or did you just give up?
Did you know sitting for prolonged periods reduces blood flow to the legs and increases the risk of heart disease by accelerating the build-up of plaque in the arteries. High glucose levels contribute to poor circulation. Thus, diabetes and heart disease tend to go hand-in-hand.
Luckily, many corporations are targeting ways to bring wellness into the workplace. Laws guide companies on providing break periods. It’s up to you to take them. Taking a break opens you up for productivity and creativity, no matter what your day is like.
Do you sit more in your retirement years? Retirement can allow you to do things you never had time for. However, even in retirement, you need to set some priorities, one of them should be about healthy living.
Based on an Australian study, when participants walked for 3 minutes and performed resistance exercises such as squats or leg raises, they had lower blood glucose levels. This backs up my theory that humans are meant to move, not to be couch potatoes.
The study goes on to report if we compare groups of people with the same amount of total sedentary time, the group who had a higher number of breaks did better. Their waist circumference, body mass index, triglycerides and 2-hour post meal glucose were better than those that were sedentary for longer periods of time. Psychologically, the more we sit, the more we just want to stay where we are. We lose interest or feel the need to get up and move, workout, or go for a walk. We being to feel stuck.
It’s easy to sit and watch TV all day or sit at our computers, iPads and phones. The more we sit, the more we tend toward poor posture and slouch. This can exacerbate or lead to back and neck issues and cause pain or discomfort.
If you suffer from arthritis, then you already know that sitting too long can bring on stiffness and difficulty getting up.
Let’s take charge of what is in our control. It might not be perfect but keeping good blood flow and burning some of the extra food we are more than likely consuming during this time is helpful.
Let’s recap some reasons for getting up and moving:
- Improves glucose levels
- Heart healthy
- Brings oxygen throughout your system giving you more energy
- Reduce stiffness
- Lowers blood pressure
- Burns off those extra calories, reducing your waistline
- Clears the mind and keeps you engaged
- Can improve sleep
Get up, move, bend, stretch and walk as much as possible. Step away for a healthy snack. You will be more focused, improve your glucose levels, and feel better.