Exercising can be in vain if you become immersed in the ‘seated lifestyle’
Regular exercise is very beneficial for health, such as weight loss, promoting blood circulation, and strengthening heart function. However, regular exercise can be in vain if you become immersed in a sedentary lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle is an inactive lifestyle, such as sitting at a desk all day, sitting on the sofa at night, or watching TV programs while lying face down.
“Exercise improves blood circulation, but sitting too much of the day increases the risk of blood clots,” said Amy Mullins, medical director of the American Academy of Family Medicine (AAFP), director of quality and scientific medicine. She said in an interview with the health site ‘thehealthy’ of the American magazine ‘Reader’s Digest’. Even if you exercise regularly, if you sit for too long, you can become sloppy. In fact, studies have shown that people who become accustomed to this lifestyle can develop blood clots in their legs even if they meet high-level exercise guidelines, which can be life-threatening.
“After the arteries supply oxygen and nutrients to the tissues, the veins return the blood to the heart,” said Mary Kirshman, a professor of hematology and pathology at the University of Vermont School of Medicine. It’s especially difficult for me to do my part,” he said. The body relies on the leg muscles to pump blood back from the legs to the heart. However, if the legs are not moved at once for several hours, the blood begins to clot, which can lead to venous thromboembolism (VTE). Venous thromboembolism, in which a vein is blocked by a thrombus, is mainly caused by surgery, traumatic injury, or cancer. However, it can also occur simply by sitting for long periods of time.
In particular, if a blood clot falls and travels through the bloodstream, it can have fatal consequences. The clot travels to the brain and causes a stroke, and remains in the lungs, causing fatal pulmonary embolism (PE). Venous thromboembolism affects between 300,000 and 600,000 people in the United States each year and is the third most diagnosed disease following heart disease and stroke. It affects people over the age of 60 the most. However, awareness of this is quite low. Sitting and watching TV for a long period of time can be an indicator of the severity of a sedentary lifestyle. If you look at people’s TV watching behavior, you can see how severe the sedentary lifestyle is.
A study presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions (2017) found that those who watched TV ‘very often’ had a 1.7 times higher risk of developing blood clots than those who watched ‘little or no’ TV. appeared to be Among those who exercised regularly, those who watched TV frequently were 1.8 times more likely to develop blood clots than those who watched little TV. This is a very shocking result.
Professor Kirshman said, “Exercise is hard, but there are many people who are immersed in a sedentary lifestyle, so regular exercise alone is not sufficient for health.” “So, you need to exercise regularly and drastically reduce the amount of time you spend sitting a day,” she emphasized. If you want to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day and watch TV for three hours a night, you’ll need to spend quite a bit of that time in motion. A good example is walking on a treadmill while watching TV, and setting an alarm on the clock to periodically get up from the desk and move while working. Professor Kirshman emphasized, “We need to learn regarding the low-profile venous thromboembolism and deal with it properly.”
There are two types of venous thromboembolism: deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism. Symptoms of the former include pain or tenderness in the calf or thigh, leg swelling, redness (redness and swelling), and skin that feels hot to the touch. The latter symptoms include unexpected shortness of breath, rapid breathing, chest pain, increased heart rate, and dizziness. Pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening by blocking blood to the lungs. Recognizing symptoms early and seeking medical help right away greatly increases your chances of survival.
“Every person has different risk factors, so it’s very important to know them,” said Dr. Mullins of the American Academy of Family Medicine. For example, having cancer, having surgery, or smoking can increase your risk of blood clots. People traveling longer than 4 hours can also be at risk. Therefore, it is essential to discuss individual risk factors with your doctor. Also, Professor Kirshman of the University of Vermont School of Medicine said, “Don’t sit for too long, keep moving, get the recommended physical activity, and eat a healthy diet will go a long way in preventing heart disease and stroke.”
