Case Point : Stiffness – travel – breakfast

Video on stiffness Sitting long – – high travel time – skip breakfast = stiffness

The more hours you spend sitting in a day, the shorter your lifespan may be. A good part of my career goes in to investigating the health effects of sitting. I conduct 3 fitness batches a day and I work out with my patients. Over the years with my patients I have found when you’ve been sitting for a long period of time and then get up, a number of molecular flows occur and at the molecular level, your body is designed to be active and on the move all day long. When you stop moving for extended periods of time, it’s like telling your body it’s time to shut down and that’s where the fatigue occurs in the body .

Organ Damage

• When you sit, blood flows slower and muscles burn less fat, which makes it easier for fatty acids to clog your heart.
• Sitting more than 8 hours a day increases 90% risk of type 2 diabetes and heart diseases
• Cancer: Excess sitting may increase your risk of colon, breast, and endometrial cancers. Another reason for this increased cancer risk is thought to be linked to weight gain and associated biochemical changes, such as alterations in hormones, metabolic dysfunction, leptin dysfunction, and inflammation—all of which promote cancer.
• Digestion: Sitting down after you’ve eaten causes your abdominal contents to compress, slowing down digestion. Sluggish digestion, in turn, can lead to cramping, bloating, heartburn, and constipation, as well as dysbiosis in your gastrointestinal tract, a condition caused by microbial imbalances in your body.
• Posture Problems: Constantly looking at phone or computer can strain your cervical vertebrae along with permanent imbalances, which can lead to neck strain, sore shoulders and back.
• The disks in our back are meant to expand and contract , which allows them to absorb blood and nutrients. When you sit, the disks are compressed and can lose flexibility over time
• Varicose Veins: Sitting leads to poor circulation in your legs, which can cause swelling in your ankles, varicose veins, and blood clots known as deep vein thrombosis/

Start Exercising :  I believe high-intensity exercises are an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but considering the fact that we don’t move our core and focus more on hands and legs – most workout still cant melt the belly fat.  Try out pilates or kick boxing or hula hooping for starters.

I personally do about 14,000-15,000 steps a day ( send me a friend request at fitbit – we can be fitness buddies).

Avoid eating while travelling.

Drink at least 3 liters of water in a day. Stay hydrated. Stay away from electronic devices after 6 pm so that you get good sleep at night.

Watch my talk on stiffness due to travelling : 3 reasons for stiffness