Will you lose muscle mass if you sit
I am getting obsessed with walking and can't even sit for a minute I'm scared that I'll loose muscle mass. I do light workouts from Monday to Friday but on weekdays I'd only have little time to exercise and I'd have to work in office for hours. I've seen articles everywhere saying you'll lose muscle and get obese if you sit too long something like that and that scares me too much and now I can't even get myself touch the chair for a second. Sitting has become just mentally uncomfortable for me but I know I can't just stand for 9 hours working, any advice?
Answers ( 2 )
I appreciate that you have 'heard' or 'read' different ideas about exercise and muscle mass and aging and all kinds of such physiogenic bits and bobs, but, given the details of your question, it does not sound as if you will lose muscle mass so much is you have already lost peace of mind because of an obsession over your body.
I really recommend speaking to your licensed health care provider, because what you describe sounds a whole lot more like a body image issue/obsession rather than not simply understanding how muscle tissue is built and how it can- and cannot- atrophy in the right conditions.
You have said it yourself: You can hardly bring yourself to sit down; such is NOT a healthy response to the idea of exercise.
Of any type.
Protracted sitting is indeed bad for you, but loss of muscle mass is the least significant of its adverse effects. Among my other bad habits, I sit in front of my computer about half of my waking hours, and it's wrecking my lower back and hip joints, but one or two robust gym or track workouts a week more than compensates for any loss of muscle mass. We humans do a lot of things that are bad for us, like drinking alcohol and eating fried chicken, but no one of those things is likely to put the last nail in our coffin unless we go overboard with it. Relax. Relaxation is GOOD for you. You are going to get old and wear out, regardless of how meticulous you are about sitting vs. exercise -- trust me, I've been a competitive athlete for most of my life, but at 77 I'm definitely noticing the wear & tear. That's life!