Sitting Dangers: Here's How To Undo The Damage Of Sitting Down For Hours

Sitting dangers often go under the radar for most people, especially in an age where a lot of us live sedentarily, couch/desk-bound lives. But you should never, ever discount the negative health effects of sitting, as they could actually put your life in danger.

Whether it's your marathon gaming sessions or your work from home setup that goes late into the night, you will have to be seated for hours on end. Fortunately, there are numerous exercises you can do to actually undo the damage of sitting, and they're easy to follow.

Just How Bad Can Sitting Dangers Be?

Short answer: pretty bad. According to FitAndWell, it is bad enough to result in the phrase, "sitting down is the new smoking."

In order to undo sitting health risks which are mostly cardiovascular (heart-related), you'll need to do moderate-to-vigorous cardio work. But of course, if you're basically stuck to your desk (especially work from home or office workers), it could be hard to find time to go for a morning jog.

If you sit for way too many hours almost every day with almost no breaks, your risk of dying is almost the same as if you were morbidly obese or a heavy smoker, according to MayoClinic.

This can be caused by a wide range of problems that sitting all day brings. There's the potential of increased blood pressure, excess body fat around your midsection, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol, among others. Some studies even reveal that those who live sedentary lifestyles are also at a higher risk of dying from cancer.

So take stock of your life so far, and see if you have been sitting down too much playing video games or barely taking breaks while you work at a desk. Much of the stuff you do these days doesn't require you to stand up, and that's where the problem lies.

Exercises You Can Try

ArtOfManliness lists down certain exercises that you can easily try, all of which don't require a lot of (or barely any) equipment at all. Here are some of them:

• Grok squat: Every hour or so, take a break by doing this squat. Squat down until your butt touches (or is close) to your ankles, keep your heels firmly on the ground, and hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds. This is also known as an Asian, Slav, or Primal squat.

• Table pigeon: Take a relatively low table (or even your own bed), take one leg, and rest it sideways on top of the surface. Make sure your knee is bent at around 90 degrees. Hold the position for 60 to 90 seconds. Repeat on the other leg.

• Couch stretch: Another easy-to-perform exercise, the couch stretch can be done by going to your couch (you do have one, right?). Place a knee you want to stretch on top of the couch, then rest your foot straight onto the back of the sofa. Hold the position for around four minutes. Or if you have no couch, you can actually do this on a wall.

There are other exercises you can try out, but these are the easiest ones that require barely any equipment. All you need is yourself and your home. Just remember to perform any or all of these exercises in-between your marathon gaming or working sessions, and you'll be just fine!

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Written by RJ Pierce