What to Do When a Sedentary Lifestyle Takes Its Toll

What to Do When a Sedentary Lifestyle Takes Its Toll

A modern family members with their devices, and it's sedentary lifestyle

An everyday pattern for the majority of people usually goes like this: behind the wheel, in their offices, behind the wheel again and in front of a TV or a computer screen. It is no wonder that this sedentary lifestyle quickly takes its toll. The most common consequences are lower back pain, high blood pressure and cholesterol level, decrease in skeletal muscle mass and increased risk of cardiovascular and coronary diseases. Bearing in mind the gravity of these medical conditions, there is no better time than now to do something about it.


A girl has a stretching exercise before a training

Prolonged sitting has a lot of negative effects on your spine and core muscles; so, if you have a sedentary job, simple stretching exercises will make a world of difference. Do them for a couple of minutes every hour and you will feel much better without really breaking your work routine.


Massage therapy for relaxing muscles after hard working day

After you give it a try, it will be perfectly clear why the effects that a massage has on human body and mind have been universally praised. Massage improves circulation, relaxes muscles and increases the flexibility of joints.

Taking a walk

A young couple takes a walk through the park covered with leaves

If you cannot drastically change your office routine, change the way you get to and from work. In other words, walk all the way if you do not live too far. If you do, park a couple of blocks away and walk the rest of the way. However, if this is too complicated, go for a walk every day after dinner and very soon you will notice a big change in your standing and sitting posture.

More outdoor activities

One of the outdoor activities: Cycling in the wood with friends or family

Any outdoor activity that engages the entire musculature is highly recommendable. Cycling, hiking and swimming would be the top three recommendations. Similarly, running is another very common activity that’s ideal to keep you active. However, make sure you start gradually to avoid injuries and as you get back in shape, slowly increase the intensity. This will provide a continual improvement of your physical condition and at the same time keep you motivated.


One of recommended yoga exercises, it could be done anytime and anywhere

Poor core muscle strength and spine condition are the most frequent issues related to a sedentary lifestyle. If you are not really an outdoor kind of person or a conventional physical exercise lover, perhaps yoga would be a better solution for you. These twelve exercises will significantly improve both of the issues mentioned above at the convenience of your home. It will take some time for the results to show, but all the effort will be highly rewarded.

Chiropractic treatment

A chiropractor is treating a patient with a lower back pain

In case that you are experiencing a chronic pain in your neck or lower back, which is a consequence of your sedentary lifestyle, a chiropractor treatment proves to be highly efficient in reducing it. Most importantly, a postural assessment would be an obligatory initial step based on which a chiropractor will determine the most efficient treatment for the problematic area and the most suitable follow up procedure to eliminate the source of such severe pain.

Dealing with the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle requires moderate to drastic change of an everyday routine. Therefore, for most people, the initial steps would be the hardest. When the going gets tough, remember that drastic improvements cannot happen overnight. It took years to get your body in such a poor state and it will naturally take some time to get back in proper shape.