10 Negative Side Effects Of Sitting Down All Day

It’s no secret that exercise is extremely important and has a load of health benefits. Following this logic, it’s also pretty clear that long periods of inactivity, like sitting down at a desk all day, can have some pretty serious negative side effects. Thankfully it doesn’t take that much effort to counteract them, so make sure you check out the following list to help give you some motivation to get up from your desk and get moving regularly.

Weight Gain

Putting on the pounds is one of the most obvious side effects of an inactive lifestyle. Excessive amounts of sitting has been shown to decrease lipoprotein activity. This negatively impacts the body’s ability to burn fat while encouraging the body to burn carbohydrates (instead of fat) for fuel.

Weaker Muscles

When it comes to muscles, it’s most definitely a case of “use it or lose it”. Extended periods of inactivity can weaken muscles all over your body, particularly your legs and glutes, and this can damage your posture, increase your risk of injury and lead to more chronic conditions further down the line.

Poor Circulation

Sitting down all day can slow your circulation and cause blood to pool in the legs and feet. This can lead to swollen ankles, varicose veins and even dangerous blood clots like deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Heart Disease

If your body is burning less fat and your circulation is poor, there’s an increased chance of cardiovascular disease. Numerous studies have also linked inactive sitting to elevated cholesterol level and high blood pressure.

Poor Posture

In addition to weakening your muscles, prolonged sitting or slouching can cause a whole range of problems in your neck, shoulders, back and hips. Workstation massage can be helpful and combating these and providing relief from the symptoms.

Diabetes

Inactive sitting has proved to be a major contributing factor to your risk of diabetes. This is due to the fact that decreased muscle mass and strength can lower insulin sensitivity (the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels). The lower the body’s insulin sensitivity, the higher the incidence of diabetes.

Decreased Mental Agility

It might sound a bit counterintuitive, but sitting down at a desk all day and doing mentally based work can actually reduce your mental agility. Inactivity can mean the brain is unable to get the blood and oxygen it needs to function optimally. As a result, brain function slows down, and this can affect performance and concentration levels.

Chronic Pain

The longer you sit down and maintain bad posture, the more likely you are the experience chronic pain in areas including your neck, shoulders, back, hips, and legs.

Depression & Anxiety

Exercise and staying fit and healthy have been proven to have positive effects when it comes to combating anxiety and depression. As such, people who are sedentary at work for long periods are at a higher risk of suffering from these conditions, which can also be exacerbated by a vitamin D deficiency (from working inside all day) and feelings of isolation and loneliness caused by a lack of social interaction.

Cancer

Perhaps the most serious side effect of prolonged sitting is the increased risk of lung, colon, breast, uterine and endometrial cancers. While the exact reasons for this are not clear, it is possibly something to do with the fact that sedentary behaviour can boost insulin production (which encourages cell growth) along with increasing other cancer risk factors like weight gain, changes in hormonal levels and metabolic dysfunction.

What Can You Do?

The good news is that there is lots of things that you can do to combat these negative side effects. Corporate wellness programs like, yoga and exercise classes, that get people moving on a regular basis are a great start. Taking regular breaks from your desk to walk around and get your body moving, using a standing desk and purchasing some desk exercise equipment are also other great options.

If your staff spend a lot of time sitting down, get in touch with us today to find out more about how we can help make them a happier, healthier and more productive bunch by combating the negative side effects of being seated all day.

Weight Gain

Putting on the pounds is one of the most obvious side effects of an inactive lifestyle. Excessive amounts of sitting has been shown to decrease lipoprotein activity. This negatively impacts the body’s ability to burn fat while encouraging the body to burn carbohydrates (instead of fat) for fuel.

Weaker Muscles

When it comes to muscles, it’s most definitely a case of “use it or lose it”. Extended periods of inactivity can weaken muscles all over your body, particularly your legs and glutes, and this can damage your posture, increase your risk of injury and lead to more chronic conditions further down the line.

Poor Circulation

Sitting down all day can slow your circulation and cause blood to pool in the legs and feet. This can lead to swollen ankles, varicose veins and even dangerous blood clots like deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Heart Disease

If your body is burning less fat and your circulation is poor, there’s an increased chance of cardiovascular disease. Numerous studies have also linked inactive sitting to elevated cholesterol level and high blood pressure.

Poor Posture

In addition to weakening your muscles, prolonged sitting or slouching can cause a whole range of problems in your neck, shoulders, back and hips. Workstation massage can be helpful and combating these and providing relief from the symptoms.

Diabetes

Inactive sitting has proved to be a major contributing factor to your risk of diabetes. This is due to the fact that decreased muscle mass and strength can lower insulin sensitivity (the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels). The lower the body’s insulin sensitivity, the higher the incidence of diabetes.

Decreased Mental Agility

It might sound a bit counterintuitive, but sitting down at a desk all day and doing mentally based work can actually reduce your mental agility. Inactivity can mean the brain is unable to get the blood and oxygen it needs to function optimally. As a result, brain function slows down, and this can affect performance and concentration levels.

Chronic Pain

The longer you sit down and maintain bad posture, the more likely you are the experience chronic pain in areas including your neck, shoulders, back, hips, and legs.

Depression & Anxiety

Exercise and staying fit and healthy have been proven to have positive effects when it comes to combating anxiety and depression. As such, people who are sedentary at work for long periods are at a higher risk of suffering from these conditions, which can also be exacerbated by a vitamin D deficiency (from working inside all day) and feelings of isolation and loneliness caused by a lack of social interaction.

Cancer

Perhaps the most serious side effect of prolonged sitting is the increased risk of lung, colon, breast, uterine and endometrial cancers. While the exact reasons for this are not clear, it is possibly something to do with the fact that sedentary behaviour can boost insulin production (which encourages cell growth) along with increasing other cancer risk factors like weight gain, changes in hormonal levels and metabolic dysfunction.

What Can You Do?

The good news is that there is lots of things that you can do to combat these negative side effects. Corporate wellness programs like, yoga and exercise classes, that get people moving on a regular basis are a great start. Taking regular breaks from your desk to walk around and get your body moving, using a standing desk and purchasing some desk exercise equipment are also other great options.

If your staff spend a lot of time sitting down, get in touch with us today to find out more about how we can help make them a happier, healthier and more productive bunch by combating the negative side effects of being seated all day.

Article Source: 10 Negative Side Effects Of Sitting Down All Day

Why You Need to Remove Your Makeup Every Night

We’ve all been there. We’ve come in from a long day at work and feel that we cannot bring ourselves to take off our make up before falling into bed. This can quickly become a bad habit that is extremely unhealthy for your skin! Leaving your makeup on when going to bed can cause wreak havoc with your skin, so in this article, we’re going to take you through the exact reasons why it is so important that you remove your makeup every night. Once you’ve read it you’ll be thankful we’ve given you some inspiration to look after your skin a little better, trust us!

No One Wants A Dirty Pillow

When you wear your makeup to bed, it will easily rub off onto your pillow. This is particularly true if you are wearing foundation, eyeshadow or mascara. While it is not harmful to have a dirty pillow, it will attract lots more bacteria. This bacteria will then be on your skin every night when you are sleeping and can cause damage to your skin leading to other problems such as rashes, blisters, acne and allergic reactions

Clogged Pores

One of the first noticeable effects you will experience when you don’t take your make up off at night is clogged pores. Sometimes we easily forget that the skin is an organ too and that it is an organ that needs to breathe. No matter how amazing your makeup skills are, it will still clog up your pores to some degree. When your pores are blocked, the sebum that your glands produce to get rid of dirt will then become blocked and cause pimples. Simply purchase some makeup remover and use it before hitting the hay to avoid this.

It’s Bad for Your Eyes

While not taking your makeup off at night is really bad for your skin, it is also really bad for your eyes too. Did you know that the skin around your eyes is the thinnest on your body and also the most delicate? This makes it much more vulnerable to signs of aging and it can dry out very easily. When the skin around your eyes dries out this is when you tend to see more crow’s feet and wrinkles developing. Wearing makeup to bed dries out the skin around your eyes and leads to premature aging. What’s more, not removing your makeup at night will cause your eyelash and eyebrow hair to weaken, thin and maybe even fall out. Chemicals present in makeup can also cause watery eyes, irritation, infection, and redness.

You Age Faster

You’re far more likely to suffer from premature aging – in the form of wrinkles and laugh lines – if you leave your makeup on at night. While you’re sleeping, your skin will repair itself as it cannot do this during the day when your body’s energy is being used for other things. Wearing makeup to bed makes it difficult for your skin to carry out this essential work and so will, in the long run, age you prematurely. Along with this, you will find that your skin is a lot drier and all of the dirt and pollution that you have collected throughout the day will be absorbed into your skin, causing irreversible damage. Lastly, the lack of oxygen getting through to your skin at night will contribute to premature aging as the skin needs this to regenerate.

You’ll Be More Prone to Infections and Allergies

At the beginning of this article, we mentioned that having a dirty pillow can really have a big impact on your skin, but it can also make you more prone to infections and allergies too. Whenever you wear makeup, your skin will always be more prone to getting an infection as it contains harmful chemicals that your immune isn’t able to combat. The longer it’s on there, the more damage it will do in the long run.

Skin Discolouration

Finally, the last side effect that can happen as a result of keeping your makeup on at night is that it can potentially lead to skin discolouration. The long-term effects of wearing too much makeup can mean that your skin ends up patchy and discoloured. This is normally most noticeable around your lips and eyes and this can end up aging you severely.

With so many great makeup removers now on the market, there really is no excuse to be wearing your makeup to bed at night. Avoid premature aging, infections, and allergies by ensuring you remove your make up every night.

Article Source: Why You Need to Remove Your Makeup Every Night