Sedentary Lifestyles Can Cause Health Problems

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Sedentary lifestyles, which include less walking, sit down jobs, sitting at the computer for hours at home, less outdoor activities, over-eating and less regular exercise, have caused many to have weight problems and other diseases (such as diabetes). If you’re sitting all day, it is even more important for you to exercise regularly.

Also, research has proven that when you sit down your fat-burning enzymes shutdown. Get up and stretch/walk around every half hour or so. And, take 15 minute walks during breaks and lunch. This will keep your blood circulating properly and burn calories during your work day. Remember, all movement burns calories.

If you work at a sedentary job, you also need to choose your exercises carefully. Sedentary jobs and sedentary lifestyles shorten your hip flexor and hamstring muscles, thus restricting free movement of your hips. You should be able to freely rotate and move your hips up and down and in and out. Having tight hip flexors can cause low back problems, postural problems, and overcompensation injuries.

It is important to warm-up properly before your workout. After a long day at the office, you need to get the blood circulating freely in your body. To deal with tightness in your hips, do these bodyweight exercises during your 5-10 minute warmup:

--Step ups
--Walking lunges, side lunges, reverse lunges and clock lunges
--Front leg swings and side leg swings
--Squats
--Hip turns and hip ins/outs

As you do your warmup, concentrate on doing the exercises correctly with smooth actions. As your body warms up, increase the range of motion and speed of the exercises. This type of dynamic warmup (using your muscles to warmup your muscles) will prepare you best for your workout.

If you have tight hip flexors, doing cardio on the bike would not be recommended. Riding on the bike keeps your hips/glutes in a flexed rather than relaxed position.

Try this workout 2-3 days a week:

1. Bodyweight squats, 12 repetitions
2. Pushups, 15 repetitions
3. Bentover dumbbell rows, 10 repetitions
4. Bodyweight step ups, 10 repetitions each leg
5. Plank, 10 repetitions, 10 second hold
6. Standing dumbbell shoulder press, 10 repetitions
7. Medicine ball diagonal chop, 10 repetitions each side
8. Dumbbell calf raises, 25 repetitions
9. Rest 2-3 minutes and repeat this circuit.

For your cardio exercise (3 days a week), try walking or running intervals for 20 minutes per session.

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES, CPT is a Certified Personal Trainer and former NCAA Division I athlete. Mark’s Fat Blaster Athletic Training System has been proven to give his clients the fit, sculpted and athletic-type bodies they want. Visit Mark’s sites:

My Fitness Hut http://myfitnesshut.blogspot.com
Her Fitness Hut http://herfitnesshut.com
Sports Fitness Hut http://sportsfitnesshut.blogspot.com

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Mark Dilworth

Thanks for sharing your story and keep staying active!

February 10, 2010 - 5:17pm

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Iluvdogs

Hi Mark,
Thanks for your post, I can really relate to the sedentary lifestyle. I was born with a bad hip and just had THR(total hip replacement) nine weeks ago and I'm only 40! If I had been more active throughout my life, especially with Yoga, I probably could have preserved my hip a little longer. Now I have to excersise and walk everyday as part of my physical therapy. I vow to never be a lazy person again!!!! :-D

February 10, 2010 - 4:24pm

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.