You are right to be concerned about rash driving, car accidents, contracting STDs or drowning, but that doesn’t mean you won’t die if you just keep sitting. Medical research has shown that the human body is much like a machine, with all its parts working together to function properly. Hence, sitting on a chair all day is like letting a machine remain idle, allowing its parts to rust and deteriorate. If you don’t believe it, read on to find out why sitting is killing you!

Hampers your blood circulation

Sitting on a chair for long majorly affects your blood circulatory system, especially when it comes to your lower body. When you are sitting, your weight affects your hips and the organs around your body. Your heart is the pump which helps circulate oxygenated blood throughout the body as it flows through your arteries and veins. Sitting in a chair for prolonged periods prevents this blood from flowing freely and reaching your lower body. This severely hampers your efficiently and muscle nutrition alongside adding to fatigue.

Leads to bad posture

When you are sitting, your body posture matters a lot. Sitting for long hours naturally leads to slumping and shifting, which leads to additional stress on your back and joints. This can also result in muscular imbalance and damage to your inter-vertebral discs.

Promotes weight gain

It should come as no surprise that sitting in one position for too long promotes the accumulation of fat in your body. While so many people are willing to invest money into weight loss programs and regimes, they ignore the fact that sitting on a chair for hours leads to weight gain. The accumulated fat not only affects your physical appearance but your health as well, since it is a major cause behind coronary diseases.

Affects the performance of your lungs

While oxygen is an essential requirement to stay alive, numerous processes are involved in making sure that the oxygen you inhale is properly and efficiently circulated around the whole body. When your blood circulation is hampered due to sitting, the working and performance of your lungs is also adversely affected.

Causes problems in digestion

Like oxygen, food is another essential requirement for the functioning of your body. Regardless of what you eat, proper digestion of the food is extremely important. Your body can’t make use of the pizza or burger you consume, which is why all that needs to be broken down for proper absorption. Sitting down in one place for prolonged hours considerably affects the digestive system and can even lead to dehydration.

Can lead to cancer

Cancer has long been considered a lethal disease, which it can still be in certain cases. The uncontrollable cell division and growth associated with cancer has also been found to be a result of physical inactivity. The American Institute of Cancer Research says that sitting for long hours increases your risk of getting breast and colon cancer and recommends more exercise and physical activity to avoid it.