stay happy, stay healthy, stay sane!

In this short article PB Chiropractor Kelly Nicol poses the question, is sitting really the new smoking?  As we move into yet another lockdown, we are sitting more than ever before. But is it really that bad for us?
 
The simple answer is, yes!!  Sitting at your desk or at the kitchen table for prolonged periods can affect your body in many different ways. We as humans are built to stand in an up right posture. The functioning of our bodies is at its optimum when we are standing. 

​Recent research has linked a high number of sedentary behaviours with an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.
 
Sitting down for long periods of time makes digestion less efficient, we store what we eat as sugars and fat. When we are moving our muscles, this helps our body to digest the fats and sugars we have consumed. With these fats and sugars being stored in our bodies the risk of weight gain, diabetes and heart disease begins to skyrocket.
 
It is so important to move throughout the day, not only for your vital organs but also for your muscles.
 
Sitting can lead to weakening and wasting of the quads and gluteal muscles. These muscles allow us to walk and if they aren’t functioning properly, we can be vulnerable to back pain, knee pain and a poor pelvic alignment. We need the glutes in particular to help stabilise us and to work a bit harder to take some of the pressure off our low back.
 
Most of us suffer with a bad low back (the main reason you come to see us Chiropractors). Sitting increases the compression and load that is placed on discs and the stabilising back muscles. This increased compression can also lead to premature degeneration.

The glutes and quads aren’t the only muscles that need to be worked. Sitting causes your hip flexors to shorten as the angle of the hip joint is reduced.  This can lead to hip pain and problems.
 
BUT…. All of the above issues can be helped.  Here are some top tips to help improve your spinal, muscle and internal health when working long days seated.

Top Tips:

• Get up and walk around the room every hour.
• Try standing up. Putting your camera/ laptop onto a high shelf means you can do your teams or zoom calls standing, without anyone knowing the difference.
• When you are not working spend that time moving, not on the sofa.
• Join one of our daily stretch classes