Short Walks Benefit Those Who Sit All Day

Individuals often don’t follow chiropractic news, as they don’t suffer from back or neck pain. They feel this news can’t be of benefit to them, yet there are simple steps anyone can take to prevent problems of this type now. For example, many individuals don’t stop to think of the effect sitting all day has on their body. They know to look into ergonomic devices to help prevent issues such as carpal tunnel, yet chiropractic solutions can be effective for many common conditions. Recently, a study was done that shows the benefits of short walks throughout the day.

University of Missouri researchers recently studied 11 young men to determine the effects of sitting on their health. Although the study was very small and didn’t take into account those with preexisting medical conditions, the results are of interest to many. What these researchers found is that sitting for extended periods of time affects blood flow to not only the legs, but the arms also. They expected to see this effect on the legs, but didn’t anticipate the same impact on the arms.

Next, the researchers asked these men to take a ten minute walk. This was all that was needed to help reverse the effects of sitting for an extended period of time, which in this study was six hours. What was surprising, however, was the fact that this amount of exercise helped to increase blood flow to the legs, but not to the arms. Although there are limitations to this study, as mentioned above, it does suggest further research needs to be done, research that makes use of a larger test group and one that includes older people who sit for extended periods of time.

One way to minimize the time spent sitting at a desk is to make use of a stand up desk or a treadmill desk. Both can help to alleviate the problems people experience when sitting all day. A treadmill desk will also help to build muscles in the body, and this makes the entire body stronger. Take a walk at lunchtime or go to the gym. Do whatever is necessary to get some exercise during the day, as doing so benefits more than just the spine. The entire body will feel better as a result.