The average American adult spends approximately eight hours per day in a sitting position. Whether it is in a desk chair or on the couch, the dangers of sitting are no joke. The act of sitting might seem innocent, especially after a mentally exhausting workday, but sitting for an exorbitant amount of time on a regular basis can cause muscle degeneration, which can lead to a severe decrease in your mobility.

The Unavoidable Slump

It’s undeniable that sitting is a normal daily practice for everyone, but poor posture is also often inevitable. Sitting upright forces your body to leverage the abdominal muscles to maintain proper posture. However, as you drop your shoulders and relax your midsection, the abdominal muscles suddenly go unused, which consequently forces added strain on your lower back and pelvic region. Although the slumped sitting position may feel more comfortable than maintaining proper posture, it has the potential to elongate the arch of the spine, and eventually cause muscle atrophy.

Muscle Atrophy

Muscle atrophy is the degeneration of muscle fibers, which occurs when muscles are not sufficiently exercised. This is partially why it’s important to maintain an active lifestyle, but it’s also a critical point of emphasis when referring to the effects of prolonged sitting. Long periods of inactivity cause muscle fibers to diminish in size, which weakens the body. This process is accelerated through extended bouts of sitting, specifically in the hip flexors, which become shortened, and eventually limit range of motion.

Inflexibility

Sitting for extended periods of time places pressure on all areas of the body, including the hips, glutes, back and legs. This has the potential to cause severe inflexibility, which means that normal physical movements, such as walking, may become more difficult to perform over time. Prolonged sitting causes the disks in your back to become unevenly compressed, thus causing tendons and ligaments to harden. This disables body weight from being evenly distributed on the spine, which eventually causes inflexibility and can also lead to disk damage.

Circulation Damage

Sitting improperly for extended periods of time on a regular basis can cause circulation damage in the legs. This occurs due to blood pooling in the veins, which is commonly referred to as varicose veins. Although the aforementioned condition is typically more common in women, it can also affect men. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a more serious issue that can also arise as an outcome of circulation damage in the legs. Poor circulation can hinder physical independence and limit mobility.

Sitting the Right Way

Sitting is an unavoidable activity in everyday life, but it’s important to concentrate your energy on maintaining proper posture while assuming the position. Sit completely upright without leaning forward. Relax your shoulders and keep your feet flat on the floor. Also, keep your arms near your sides and bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Most importantly, remember to get up and move as often as possible. Initially, you might find sitting the right way to be somewhat uncomfortable. But sitting properly will ultimately help you maintain a higher quality of life as you age.