Sitting For Hours Can Shorten Your Life

Sitting for hours in the office or on the couch, is one of the features of contemporary life. Perhaps, more people lead a sedentary lifestyle today than ever before. If anything, the phenomenal growth of the IT sector and allied areas has only sucked more and more younger people into the vortex of a sedentary lifestyle with all its attendant health issues.

Here are some of the problems long spells of sitting can lead to:

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Sitting for long periods of time can cause blood clots in the veins of the lower limbs. The danger is that a clot could travel from the leg and lodge itself in the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism

Varicose veins are also often the result of sitting for hours without enough movement of the lower limbs. In this condition, veins typically appear swollen with bluish-purple or red color.

Diabetes, heart disease and colon or rectal cancer, are other problems a sedentary lifestyle makes people vulnerable to.

What should you do?

If you sit in your office for long hours at your desk or on the couch watching television, remember to get get up every 20 minutes, walk around and get your legs moving. Stand up, bend and touch your toes. Walk around your office for a few minutes and settle down for another spell of work. Stand at your desk for a few minutes, move your legs a bit and sit then settle down again.Finally, don't underestimate the time you spend sitting--as many people tend to.

If you don't want sitting to cut into your lifespan, these tips should help you battle the inevitable dangers that stem from leading a sedentary lifestyle.