How Your Workout Benefits Can Be Reduced By Sitting

While we continue to work from home due to the pandemic, many of us have settled into a routine of workouts at home. A 30-minute workout during the day is important if you want to stay fit, but it might not enough. Read on to know why you need to include more physical activity in your day-to-day life.

What You Should Know:

• How does your 30-minute workout help?
• Why sitting for long hours damages your health?
• Light activities to help you stay active during the day

• How does a 30-minute workout help you? 

A daily workout at home with aerobic exercises like jogging or skipping can help you lose weight. Since it is only 30-minutes long, it leaves you with more energy to be active during the day. If you are a beginner, exercising for half an hour five days a week is not too stressful and it helps you prevent health conditions like diabetes.

• How sitting for long hours damages your health? 

While most of us are working from home during the lockdown, it means our lifestyle has become sedentary. On an average we spend about 11-15 hours a day sitting. Studies suggest that sitting can lead to major health risks like:

• Early death
• Chronic conditions like diabetes
• Weight gain

Another study has compared the benefits of a 30-minute workout to the number of hours you might be sitting per day. For people who sit for 6-7 hours a day, a 30-minute workout can reduce the risk of early death by 80%. The longer you sit, the more physically active you will need to be. 

• Light activities to keep you active during the day

While a 30-minute workout can help, you need to add more physical activities in your daily routine. Here are some tips to help you get a few hours of physical activity during the day to negate the effects of sitting.

1. Household chores

Taking up household chores like cooking, cleaning, etc, can help you stay active whenever you take a few breaks during the day.  

2. Stretching exercises

Sitting down for long hours can affect your posture and flexibility too. Trying some stretching exercises can help you stretch your back and shoulders, which are most affected by long hours of sitting. 

3.  Play with your kids

If you are a working parent, it will be difficult to take out any extra time to exercise. You can consider spending the time playing some games or exercising with your child to help you both stay physically active at home. 

4. Get adequate sleep

While finding different ways to exercise can be helpful, you should also avoid cutting down on your sleep to exercise more. A lack of sleep can reduce the health benefits you gain from physical activity during the day.  

If sitting for long hours has also ruined your posture, here are some more exercises for those who sit all day. For more fitness or nutrition related advise, visit the Activ Living Blog.