Sitting for too long can do harm to your body

    

With the continuous progress of technology, we need to put less and less effort to get the things done. And it's not only about jobs which are getting more and more computerized every day; it's about our lifestyle in general.

If in the recent past we had to wash the dishes and clean the floor ourselves, now there are people who have a dishwasher and a robotic vacuum cleaner which can do that for us. I'm not saying it's bad to take advantage of the privileges of technology (I'm a fan of technology myself), but the problem is that, as a result, there are those of us who sometimes tend to avoid physical activity and end up sitting for more hours a day than our parents and grandparents did.

Let's take a look at some statistics. Approximately 80% of the Americans use the Internet on a daily basis, and there is at least one computer in 90 % of the homes. Of course, it's not only about the Internet usage or home computers. Imagine how many Americans do office jobs that require sitting in a chair for at least eight hours a day.

The real problem is that even after a long working day, many people continue spending their free time in front of a screen, watching TV, playing video games, browsing the Internet or chatting with friends online.

So when it comes to health problems, the statistics show that 40% of people who suffer from back issues tend to spend long hours sitting at the computer. You may think that back problems are the only major consequence of a sedentary lifestyle. Unfortunately, it's not that simple, and recent research reveals that too much sitting is linked to a number of health problems, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

Here is an infographic that explains the health problems associated with spending too much time in a chair. There are some recommendations on the proper sitting position and exercises too.

    

Comment: Additional information about the negative effects of sitting too long: Also check out this excellent article by Mark Sisson: 10 principles of primal living that are (finally) getting mainstream media coverage

Yes, Primal health principles and positions are getting mainstream recognition. Let's take a look at some of the major ones.

That sitting is bad and exercise might not be enough.

Everyone knows that being sedentary is a poor health choice. But most people figured the solution was to set aside regular times each week to exercise. Formal exercise was the answer, and movement was segregated from "normal" life. As long as you hit the gym every other day, you could do nothing for the remainder of your time and be perfectly healthy.

That's just intermittent sedentism, though, and it doesn't work. Frequent low level movement throughout the day punctuated by intermittent bouts of intense exercise is what I've prescribed for years, and the mainstream is beginning to get the hint. Articles lamenting the prevalence of sitting, its scary effect on our health, and how exercising isn't enough to counter it come out on a regular basis now.

Going barefoot isn't insane.

Going barefoot is perhaps the most intuitive Primal lifestyle change. People can deny the meat-eating, fat-loving, sun-seeking behavior, they can claim that "sleep is for the weak" and "gluten-free is a fad" all they want, but they can't ignore the shoeless feet that humans have been born with for millions of years. The bare feet we wear to bed at night somehow use to walk without teetering over and falling or twisting an ankle on the way to the bathroom are also fairly competent vehicles for daily locomotion.

Ignoring the big push back from podiatrists (likely worried about losing patients and orthotics addicts), the mass media coverage of barefooting has been reasonable. They don't wholeheartedly endorse it, but then again, neither do we without caveats like "do it gradually" and "walk before you run." Harvard even has a guide to safe barefoot running. And the people who matter - the ones who decide to or decide not to go barefoot, as opposed to the experts urging them to reconsider - are embracing it; sales of shoes that emulate the unshod state have stabilized but remain high.