Introduction to translation

Many of us sit for long periods, at an age stage we do it in order to study our lessons, and then we do it in our work, and day by day the number of jobs that force a person to sit for work increases, such as content writing, programming and other jobs in the world of technology, but this behavior has serious health consequences according to contemporary medical research, for this reason we turned to Heidi Goodman from "Harvard Health Liter", to convey to us some tips from medical experts on how to deal with This issue.

Translation text

The serious consequences of prolonged periods of sitting at work are no longer well known. Research always suggests that a sedentary lifestyle (especially long periods of sitting without any movement) is associated with higher risks including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, brain and muscle atrophy, back pain, and sitting too long may be our path to early death.

Regardless of whether you sit a lot because of work, travel, fatigue or illness, or even just relaxation, sitting for long periods is a bad habit that brings more painful disasters behind it. So it's best for your health to stay active all day (getting up and moving every 30 minutes if possible), but if not, here are some simple steps you can take while sitting to make your time active and healthy.

Challenge your mind

However, individuals who sit too long in front of a TV are at greater risk of dementia than individuals who are swirling with constant work in front of computers. (Pixels)

One way you might make your sitting time healthy is to keep your mind alert. Dr. Andrew Bodson, chief of cognitive and behavioral neuroscience at Boston Health Care in Virginia, says, "When the brain enters a waking state, neurons are also strongly activated and form new bonds between cells, and more of these connections are transformed into reserve stores of cells that play an important role in counteracting the plaques and tangles that cause Alzheimer's disease" (abnormal accumulations of proteins that damage memory areas of the brain over time).

Negative activities (involving lazy activities) such as watching television have the opposite effect on the brain. Dr Bodson said: "In those times, neurons are weakly active and don't form any new connections. "So there is growing evidence that you have to deal with the brain in terms of either using it or losing it." For example, a large study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on August 22, 2022, found that individuals who sit too long in front of a TV are at higher risk of developing dementia than individuals who are engulfed in a spiral of continuous work in front of computers regardless of their levels of physical activity. This does not mean that watching TV is unhealthy as much as it means that the TV screen does not offer our minds so much that it motivates them to engage and interact.

To keep your mind alert while you sit, you'll sometimes have to turn off the TV and turn to other things that can broaden your horizons, such as reading a book on a new topic, listening to new types of music, or learning a new language. Many free mobile apps can help you get started, and this idea may revive other ideas, such as getting together with your friends to play some word-play games, whether with paper and pen or on an app, to spend some time free from the pressures of life. Dr. Bodson advises, "Don't repeat the same games for too long, keep challenging your mind."

To alleviate the suffering of sitting for long periods, try to discover a new hobby that fills your conscience and is suitable for sitting in one place for long periods. (Pixels)

The next step is to practice an activity on paper while you sit. Write to a friend, or write a story for your grandchildren, draw a picture and color it, and use watercolors to draw. The drawing doesn't have to be perfect to win a prize, it's just that the main goal of these exercises is to let your creativity flow. So in order to alleviate the suffering of sitting for long periods, try to discover a new hobby that fills your conscience and is suitable for sitting in one place for long periods, such as knitting, crochet, embroidery, building models, or manufacturing leather artifacts inlaid with embroidery arts, and you will find a lot of starting equipment for these hobbies available online.

Go to visit some friends, Dr. Bodson advises: "Face-to-face communication or interactions, even while sitting, occupies the brain and stimulates it to interact and engage, and promotes the growth of new connections between brain cells." To survive these times alone, you can also make some music, play an instrument if you have one, learn a new song, or create your own song even if it's short. Most importantly, make sure you have a variety of activities while sitting in the chair or on the couch. Dr Bodson said: "Different challenges, especially new ones, are the best way to stimulate the brain to work harder, thereby keeping it healthy and active."

Exercise your body while you sit

There's another way to keep your sitting times healthy and active. You may think that you can't do some exercise while you're sitting, but that's not true, as you can even sit down some aerobic exercise, a set of exercises and activities that stimulate the heart and lungs to work (by increasing breathing rates and heart rate).

(Pixels)

Janice McGrayl, a physiotherapist at Harvard University's Spoulding Rehabilitation Hospital, says: "If you unleash your arms and legs for a series of circular motions in the air, or allow your fist to stretch as a punch in the air, or decide to raise your legs from time to time while sitting, or move them in steps, it will increase your heart rate and blood flow. But the real secret is to keep these simple exercises for 10, 20 or 30 minutes."

Perhaps all of this leads to a more important question: What factors might make aerobics, for example, effective during our sitting? To answer this question, McGrell says, "Anything that might motivate you to move while you're sitting is effective, like gymnastics or boxing while sitting, as well as some simple dance exercises or moving your body to music while you're sitting."

You can also perform muscle-strengthening exercises using dumbbells to exercise the arm muscle (known as the "Biceps"), or use resistance ropes to perform rowing (an exercise to strengthen the upper back muscles, and improve posture by wrapping one end of the resistance rope around the foot to hold the rope, after which the rope is pulled back in an upright position using your elbows, as if you were rowing).

On the other hand, you can also resort to bodyweight-based exercises (such as lifting the leg for five seconds). These exercises play a role in strengthening your muscles and help you know how fast your body burns fuel (fat and calories). Other exercises that can be done while sitting, such as stretching exercises to tighten the main muscles in the body, such as those in the neck, shoulders, arms and legs, join this list as these exercises help keep the muscles flexible and less susceptible to injury.

You can use YouTube to search for training lessons that can be practiced during long periods of sitting. (Pixels)

No matter what type of exercise you do, whether it's aerobics, muscle strengthening exercises, or stretching, they all help our bodies stay healthy, prevent chronic diseases (such as heart disease, high sugar and blood pressure), keep your muscles and bones strong, improve balance, help control weight and mood swings, sleep better, and protect your brain. Dr Bodson said: "This exercise results in an increase in the growth of new brain cells and continues to strengthen memory and improve blood flow to the brain.

You can use YouTube to search for training lessons that can be practiced during long periods of sitting. Find out what type of exercise might interest you, and see if there's a version that can be done while you're sitting, and of course it's best to get your information from trusted sources such as a university, a health and fitness program in partnership with a medical care center, a certified personal trainer, or a physiotherapist.

Ultimately, in order to perform any type of exercise while sitting, all you have to do is follow the exact same approach you take to any exercise while standing. "Use a stationary chair, such as the one you sit on while eating, wear socks and sneakers to protect your feet, start with a simple warm-up with slow movements for a few minutes before your workout, and then exercise normally, but before you finish it, make sure you readopt a slow pace to conclude your workouts," McGrarell concludes. Finally, remember that the best exercise is the one you'll do regularly. Try to do 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week and at least twice a week of stretching and strengthening to ease our long hours of sitting.

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Translation: Somaya Zaher

This report is translated from Harvard Health Publishing and does not necessarily reflect Meydan.