Ismael Carrillo, physiotherapist, does not need surroundings to alert about the silent evil that affects millions of people: to be sitting."Spending more than 10 hours sitting is very harmful to health," says the physiotherapist in an interview in the 'Fiesta' program."Ideally, let's change the posture. Experts say we change the posture," he emphasizes.
For Carrillo, a simple way to start breaking with this inertia is to sit down again ... on the ground."It has multiple benefits: it improves body posture, relieves back pain, facilitates digestion and, surprisingly, can increase life expectancy."This simple gesture, common in many traditional cultures, activates forgotten muscle groups and stimulates natural mobility that is lost with chairs.
The excess of sitting time brings with it a long list of alarming consequences.Carrillo lists them without hesitation: "Loss of muscle tone, cardiovascular diseases, dementia, early aging, weight gain ... even reduce intelligence in childhood."
One of the studies mentioned by Carrillo analyzed 2,000 women who remained more than 10 hours seated daily.The result?"They had the shortest telomeres," he says.Telomeres are structures that protect our DNA and their shortening is a sign of cell aging."Biologically, they aged eight more years regarding the group that was not so long sitting."
The impact is not just physical.Sedentary life also has a deep effect on emotional and cognitive well -being.Carrillo highlights a study with 50,000 people that reveals a worrying connection: "The people who were 10 hours sitting had an 8% probability of developing dementia. Those who spent more than 12 hours, 63%."The explanation is simple: blood flow to the brain decreases with prolonged inactivity, affecting brain health.
It is not a boycott against the chairs, but to move more in our day to day."Being squatting, for example, improves diabetes and basal metabolism," says Carrillo, claiming forgotten positions for modern life.