Do you know prolonged sitting can cause cancer? Shocked! A recent study says that people who sit longer than 8 hours are at more risk of getting different types of cancers. And Work from home sessions has undoubtedly increased the working hours.
Regular back pain, stiff neck, and shoulders, are not the only health issues that make us hate WFH. This could also hurt mental health. Therefore, experts recommend doing simple desk exercises to deal with these life-threatening diseases.
Here is a list of many more dangers of prolonged sitting and 10 after-work stretches that you all must add to daily routine.
Desk Exercises And Health
According to health experts, when you sit for more than 8 hours daily then the risk of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases increases. Besides these, a sedentary lifestyle can affect your energy level, reduce bone health, and also leads to poor bowel functioning.
Also Read: Stop Knee Pain Now! 5 Easy Exercises To Strengthen Your Knees
Here are 5 more dangers of prolonged sitting:
1. Increases weight– It disturbs your digestion system and makes your body store more fats and sugars. As a result, your body gains weight. Doing desk exercises for few minutes a day can help you prevent weight gain.
2. Shorten Hip muscles– Hip flexor muscles that help you with correct posture get affected due to prolonged sitting. And if your chair is not comfortable or does not support your hips and back, the risk of premature degeneration increases. Therefore, one must do desk exercises for improving posture.
3. Cause Anxiety and depression– Although scientists are not sure about this side effect due to the absence of any link between the two, anxiety and depression are higher among such people. Exercise can help you ease stress and other mental health issues, beside it you can also try mental health podcasts.
4. Affects insulin level- Those who walk less, sit more, and often lie in bed can have high insulin resistance. This triggers the blood sugar level in those with diabetes. And even if you are not diabetics, chances are still there and more sitting hours increases it by 112 percentage.
5. Varicose veins– Blood clotting due to sitting longer leads to spider veins. Although less dangerous, if not treated on time varicose veins can become serious and even leads to death. This serious form of spider veins is called deep vein thrombosis.
All these are life-threatening diseases and that is why prolonged sitting is considered the fourth leading reason for more deaths in the world.
Also Read: Tips To Instantly Boost Your Energy During Lockdown
Exercise and an active lifestyle is one way to keep these diseases at bay. Desk exercises are very good for those who barely get time for a full gym session.
Full-Body Desk Exercises For WFH Employees
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Triceps Dips
Take the help of a stationary chair to improve your arm’s health. Stand in front of your chair and keep the hands backward on the chair’s surface. Bend down without losing your balance and hold the position for a while. Get back to the initial position and perform 20 dips.
2. Arm Circles
Spread your arms outward in a line and move slowly forming small circles. You can either perform this chair exercise with one arm at a time or both at once.
3. Desk Push-Ups
One of the simplest chair exercises to do at home is push-ups. This is also great for beginners who cannot do full-length push-ups. Take the support of the desk and lean forward. Keep the back straight and don’t bend knees. Do 20 reps in each round.
4. Calf Raises
Hold the chair’s top with both arms and raise your heels till you feel the stretch in your calf. Repeat 10 reps of the calf raise. This will improve leg mobility.
5. Seated Bicycle Crunches
You can do crunches without getting up from the chair. Just keep your hands at the back and lift your knee one at a time. Try to touch the elbows and return to the original position.
Besides these 5 desk exercises, you should also do 3 sets of these after work stretches:
6. Neck rolls
7. Shoulder stretch
8. Chest stretch
9. Wrist and fingers stretch
10. Triceps stretch
So make your WFH sessions healthy and more productive with these chair exercises at home.