Sitting is “The New Smoking” According To New Research – Here’s What You Need To Know

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Medical science researchers are calling sitting the new smoking, that’s because it causes your body to go into positions that aren’t conducive to healthy movement patterns, circulation and more.

Sitting causes something called your hip flexor muscles to shorten, when this happens this can lead to problems with your different parts of your hip joints. Sitting for long periods can also cause problems with your back as well, especially if you consistently sit with poor posture or don’t use something like an ergonomically designed chair or workstation.

How Does Sitting Negatively Affect Health?

Sitting causes you to burn practically zero calories. The very basic job of the legs is to hold the body up, if you’re standing you’re burning minimal calories. By sitting you’re burning barely any calories at all. This is the first issue with sitting.

The second issue with sitting is that it can cause issues in posture as illustrated in this image:

Does this feel familiar? That bent over computer posture is awful. Gosh, just seeing this image sitting down typing makes me want to sit up and find a spear. Find something to walk, hunt and survive with.

I can feel my primal masculinity leaving my body the longer I stay on this screen box! haha! Let’s get the show on.

Sitting Creates These Issues:

Muscle atrophy: This simply means the muscles become weaker simply because they aren’t being used. If the muscles are being used, they become stronger. Pretty basic!
Postural issues: Sitting in the same position is tough for long periods of time as the posture slides. As the shoulders and head roll forward, it creates imbalances in the neck, back and spine as a whole.
Decrease in Blood flow: Sitting stagnantly will not cause your blood to move as much as standing or walking, or moving briskly. Sitting doesn’t get your blood moving. Your blood moving delivers oxygen, nutrients, immune cells and more. It’s an important thing!
Lymphatic Stagnancy: A stagnant lymphatic system creates issues with pain, tension, headaches, a weak immune system and more. The lymphatic system carries the 4th phase of water (a gooey state of water) that was discovered by Dr. Gerald Pollack, through the body to hydrate it. The lymphatic system carries crucial hydrogen, oxygen and immune cells to vital areas all throughout the body.

Standing on The Other Hand:
Helps move the blood: The red and white blood cells that carry nutrients, oxygen, immune support and so much more throughout the body. Standing or being on your feet keeps the blood moving.
Helps move the lymphatic fluid: Standing also moves lymphatic fluid. Lymphatic fluid is crucial for transporting hydrogen, oxygen and immune cells. It also transports protein and fat throughout the body, imagine that. The distribution of where fat and protein are on your body are regulated by the LYMPHATIC system. Click here to learn the top 2 ways to drain the lymphatic system most effectively.
Supports Healthy Posture: Standing supports healthy posture as atrophy of muscles do not set in as much. This supports posture and alignment of bones, tendons, ligaments and more.
Gives You Longevity: Standing gives you longevity because it strengthens your lungs. You’ll be better on your feet if you’re on your feet more. The #1 muscle group of the longest living people in the world is the legs, this is why it’s important to build strong legs. Legs keep you on your feet into your 80’s, 90’s and beyond.

How Often Should You Take Breaks From Sitting?

The latest science shows that sitting for 20 minutes causes tissue adaptation. What is tissue adaptation? it simply means that the soft tissue forms in that direction typically within about 20 minutes for the average person.

This simply means that your body goes into muscle atrophy, bad posture, all of these things in about 20 minutes. In that time it’s acclimated to this sub-optimal environment.

What is best for you to do? Get up and move within less than 20 minutes to not let this sit in. That’s the first big negative habit breaking tactic you can use at this point, shares David Benjamin of Healthy Wild Free on Instagram.

Additionally, it takes 40 minutes to offset the negative affects from the 20 minutes of sitting.