Sitting comfortably? You won't be after reading this:

Daily Mail ^ | 3-3-14 | Diana Pilkington

[afraidfortherepublic]

With many of us chained to a desk for hours a day before heading home to slump in front of the telly, we're spending much of our time on our bottoms.

And it's having an impact on our health, a growing body of evidence suggests.

Last month, for instance, it emerged that spending an extra hour sitting a day (for 13, rather than 12, hours) is linked to a 50 per cent greater risk of being disabled. And this was regardless of whether the participants - all over 60 - also did moderate exercise, according to the U.S. study published in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health.

Previous research has suggested spending too much time on our rear may be a new risk factor for illness and even death.

Here, the experts reveal what happens to our bodies when we sit for long periods...

LEAKY VEINS

That dreaded 'cankle' look isn't just unsightly - it may also be a sign that you need to get up.

'If you don't keep blood pumping out of your leg and back to your heart, you get high pressure all the time in the veins in the lower legs and feet,' explains Professor Mark Whiteley, consultant vascular surgeon at the Whiteley Clinic in West London.

'With the vein walls under pressure, some proteins and fluid may leak into the tissues, resulting in inflammation. You often see people who spend a long time at their desk with ridges on their skin from their socks. It's because they're not moving enough.'

This can also apply to slim people, as it is fluid, rather than fat, that causes ridges. Over time, the same problem can lead to brown stains and hardening on the skin, eventually leading to leg ulcers, says Professor Whiteley.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Full Title:

Sitting comfortably? You won't be after reading this: Cankles, constipation and even 'brain fog' - why we should all try to spend a lot less time on our bottoms

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Could you tell this to Dear Old Dad for me? Maybe he’ll listen to you! He’s 78 now. Retired at 55 and I don’t think he’s moved more than 10 feet at a time from that day forward. Grrrrr!

GRATEFUL to have my Mom’s ENTHUSIASM for life and a job that keeps me walking most of the day! :)

[Texas Eagle]

...spending an extra hour sitting a day is linked to a 50 per cent greater risk of being disabled.

Well, hell, what's the definition of "disabled" these days?

I work at a church where one of my responsibilities is to put guys to work who come in looking for a handout.

We don't just give them cash, we make them work for it.

While it gives me the opportunity to talk to them about Jesus, it seems like somewhere between 99% and 100% of the guys I talk to are on disability. Oddly enough, they have no problem performing all manner of physical labor.

Most of their "disabilities" are not physical at all. They are things like "bi-polar" or ADD or things like that.

But even the ones that are physical don't seem to be so debilitating that they can't work a shovel all day in hundred degree heat.

That being said, it only stands to reason that sitting on your tush all day can't be healthy.

[upchuck]

Disability is the new welfare. Great gig: monthly payment from the government via taxpayer dollars for life.