When you’re in pain or overly focused, it may be difficult to make yourself get up and move.
Staying home and deskbound: on a Zoom call, watching too much television or sitting too long at the dinner table are all contributors that a growing body of evidence suggests is hazardous to your health. Habitual inactivity raises risks for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and metabolic syndrome.
Researchers aren’t sure why prolonged sitting has such harmful health consequences. But one possible explanation is that it relaxes your largest muscles. When muscles relax, they take very little glucose from the blood, raising your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Sitting can also increase pain. Even if you’re reasonably active, hours of sitting can tighten the hip flexor (space between your groin and leg) and hamstring muscles (back of the leg) and cause general joint pain. Overly tight hip flexors and hamstrings affect gait (the way you walk) and balance, making activities like walking harder and perhaps even setting you up for a fall. Plus, tight hip flexors and hamstrings may contribute to lower back pain and knee stiffness.
Rethink your routines by breaking up long blocks of sitting to flex your muscles; try to build more outdoor activity where there is natural light into your day. Set a timer to remind you to get up and move around every twenty minutes. Take your phone calls standing up. Try an adjustable standing desk for your computer. Instead of sitting in a soft chair or couch while watching TV, sit on a stability ball, which makes you use your muscles to stay upright. And yes, do our joint pain relief exercises.
For more on developing and mastering a joint pain relief workout, visit our YouTube page, and celebrate your commitment to your wellness journey. We offer personal in-home and virtual training. Join us on Facebook and Instagram. You may also contact us via email or call 818-620-1442. We see fitness differently!