Discover the negative effects of prolonged sitting and how movement throughout the day can reverse decreased cardiovascular function

Many of us currently hold jobs that require us to sit at a work station all day. Unfortunately, when sitting in one place for an extended period of time with little movement, we can do damage to the health and wellbeing of our own bodies. We evolved to move and remain active, however that is hard to do in our current work environment. This begs the question: How can one maintain their health while working a desk job?

Impacts on One’s Health

Two men sitting adjacent to each other, working on their laptops and conversing with one another.

“…prolonged periods of sitting decreases the flow of blood to the arms…”

A study from the University of Missouri investigates the impacts that sitting has on one’s health. Researchers began by examining 11 healthy young men before and after a long period of sitting. Researchers found that remaining seated for long periods of time decreased the flow of blood through the legs. What may come as more a surprise is that prolonged periods of sitting decreases the flow of blood to the arms, as well.

After remaining seated for 6 hours, researchers asked the 11 men to walk for 10 minutes. Afterwards, they found that their short stint of activity reverses the effects that 6 hours of sitting has on the legs. However, this did not seem to improve the cardiovascular function in the arms of the participants. You can improve your overall circulation with stand-up desks and exercise breaks. Both have shown to reverse the negative effects that prolonged sitting has on the body.

Though this study was performed on younger adults, the same results may not be achieved for seniors. At the end of the day, the conclusion that can be made from this study is that movement throughout the day is beneficial to your body if you work a desk job.