The Top 5 health hazards associated with sitting and 3 ways that Kaiut Yoga can reverse the effects of sitting

Between driving, dining, watching TV and working, Americans are sitting more than ever. Surveys confirm that the average American adult now logs 6.5 hours each day sitting. That’s a reportable increase of about an hour a day since 2007. For teens (ages 12-19), sitting has climbed to eight hours each day.¹

The human body was designed to move. Sitting for prolonged periods of time can have profound ramifications for our health and well- being.

An article from the Mayo Clinic has condensed what many researchers have defined as the negative effects of sitting. Here are 5 health risks associated with sitting for prolonged periods of time:

1. Weight gain: we burn less calories when sitting, thereby increasing the likelihood of weight gain.
2. Metabolic syndrome: with prolonged sitting, our metabolism may be affected and our bodies may have more challenges breaking down fats and sugars.
3. Heart diseases (including coronary artery disease and high blood pressure): the cardiovascular system may be affected due to lack of movement
4. Osteoporosis and falls: bones may become more brittle due to sitting’s effect on mineral metabolism.
5. Increased feelings of anxiety and depression: more research needs to be done to understand the link between sitting and anxiety/depression, however, researchers are noticing a correlation between sitting and emotional health.²

Some studies suggest that having a sedentary lifestyle might be linked to premature death.³

There is good news though. Even though our modern lifestyle has us sitting more than ever, a new study from Norway confirms that exercising for an hour a day may be enough to counteract the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle.⁴

Kaiut Yoga, while addressing the need for the body and nervous system to move efficiently and effectively, also addresses the residual effect of prolonged sitting. The Kaiut Method begins by working from the joints and helps to re-establish the neurologic pathways to tissue and physical structures that may have been neglected or negatively impacted through lifestyle or injury.

Here’s 3 Ways that Kaiut Yoga helps mitigate the negative effects of sitting:

1. Sustained poses: by holding poses- and varying timing, a student is able to impact the circulatory system. Some poses are held longer than others depending on the necessities of each individual student.
2. Compression and expansion techniques: the body responds to localized pressure/ compression techniques. By combining compression with expansion techniques, we’re able to influence a circulatory and lymphatic pump for the system that minimizes the effects of sitting.
3. Resetting the nervous system: modern humans not only spend a lot of time sitting, most of us spend time sitting and focusing on something outside of ourselves. Concentrating on school work, focusing on a computer or even being aware of traffic while driving has escalated the impact of sitting. In Kaiut Yoga, we specialize in bringing students awareness into the body and on areas that may have been disconnected from the nervous system. Not only are we aware of our body in a pose, but we’re also aware of how our body feels in that shape. Bridging the mind-body gap may just be one of the most critical ways that Kaiut Yoga helps modern humans navigate their modern lifestyle.

If you’d like to learn more about what we do in Kaiut Yoga- come take a class with us or consider joining The Concept Teacher Training in January 2019. We’d love to help you conquer sitting in the best way possible.

To learn more about the impacts of sitting on your health, check out this TEDtalk video by Murat Dalkilink.

References:

1. Linda Searing. “The Big Number: The average U.S. adult sits 6.5 hours a day. For teens, it’s even more”, Washington Post, April 28, 2019. washingtonpost.com

2. Laskowski, E, “What Are the Risks of Sitting Too Much?”, Mayo Clinic
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005

3. medlineplus.gov https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html

4. Rettner, R, “Here’s How You Can Keep Sitting from Killing You” LiveScience.com, 27 July 2016 https://www.livescience.com/amp/55570-sitting-risks-exercise.html