As our busy or leisurely schedules carry on day by day, whether with work, social activities, or retirement, it might be enticing to spend whatever free time we have just lying on the sofa. Particularly in retirement, it’s likely that sitting on the couch all day watching television becomes more typical than standing or moving about.
Rest is important, but if you have a sedentary lifestyle—that is, if you spend more time sitting than moving about—you risk compromising the conditions of your joints and exacerbating the symptoms of arthritis. Even 30 minutes of exercise a day will not undo the damage done by seven straight hours of lounging on the couch.
In essence, leading an inactive lifestyle is probably one of the worst things anyone can do for their health and arthritic joints. Here are the three ways in which a sedentary lifestyle and arthritis are linked in a vicious cycle, and hopefully learning about these detrimental effects will help you get your engine going to be more active!
Sedentary Lifestyles Lead to Unnecessary Snacking and Weight Gain
When the day feels too hot or too cold for physical activity, it’s easy to find yourself parked on a comfortable armchair for hours chipping away at your favorite snacks even if you weren’t hungry, and dreading the thought of any exercise done.
But when you lead a sedentary life and eat excessively, your joints start to become overburdened. A joint gets more strained as it bears greater weight, which increases the likelihood that it will deteriorate and sustain injury. For instance, our knees bear an additional four pounds of pressure for every pound of extra weight.
Thus, to prevent your arthritis from worsening, it’s always best to get up and walk around every 30 minutes and stop binge eating. If you want to enjoy snacks in front of the TV, do it less frequently and choose low-carb snacks like edamame and sunflower seeds instead.
Sunlight Deficiency Makes You More Sluggish and Exercise Less
In addition to making you hungry, the deficiency of sunlight and vitamin D in a sedentary life also makes you sluggish and less likely to exercise. This inactivity damages cartilage weakens muscles, causes stiffness, and lowers mobility in the joints. You’re also more likely to have fractures since your body is weaker.
That’s why it’s important to meet up with friends for age-appropriate group exercises and literally surround yourself with exercise equipment that serves as a reminder to get your motor running. You can burn off excess calories and preserve your joint health with basic low-impact exercises or brisk walking.
Sedentary Lifestyles Can Cause Depression, Worsening Arthritic Pain
Physical inactivity and prolonged idleness have long been found to have negative consequences on our mental health. Our mental sharpness can be compromised by prolonged computer work, sofa time spent watching TV or playing video games, or lying in bed hunched over a laptop.
Studies show that the long-term negative impacts of sedentary lifestyles lead to depression and anxiety, which in turn worsen arthritis. According to a study published in The National Library of Medicine, depression impairs one’s capacity to manage and endure arthritic pain. Patients with depression experienced increased arthritic pain, more hospital visits, higher medication use, and poorer treatment results.
