The COVID-19 pandemic has changed public education drastically, including our own Air Academy High School. Students are currently offered three choices, which include accelerate, hybrid, or synchronous. Whether it be for two or four days, those who attend classes through their computers are seated for most of the school day.

From this unfortunate outcome, is sitting too much harmful to students’ health?

The answer is yes.

Nuffield Health, a healthcare charity based in the UK, elaborates, “The human body was designed for movement, not to stay still. Prolonged sitting adds to the static load on our musculoskeletal system and prevents effective circulation of blood through your body.”

From this, decreased circulation can occur, which causes blood clots and forms deep vein thrombosis. It’s important to note that deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is not the only major health concern from frequently sitting throughout the day.

“Sitting causes your hip flexors to shorten, and your seated position can also hurt your back, particularly if you have bad posture or don’t use an ergonomic chair. Also, poor posture while sitting can cause compression on the discs in your spine and can lead to premature degeneration, which results in chronic pain,” commented health information website, Healthline.

It’s common for people to have back pain, as Sophomore Langston Ball has experienced from time to time.

“I would sometimes have back problems but I think that the fact that I’m sore from exercises I do adds to it,” stated Ball.

There’s a variety of workouts students can engage in, ranging from easy to hard.

“I do things like run a mile, pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, a tricep workout, and curls but for beginners, I would recommend that they run one mile, do 20 push-ups, and 20 sit-ups,” suggested Ball.

If that appears to be too much then getting up every once in a while is just as effective too.

Nuffield Health stated, “The effects of being inactive throughout the day can’t be reversed by exercise, so it’s essential you move regularly, around every half hour.”

There are many risks like DVT and premature degeneration as talked about amongst health websites. So whether it be taking a walk outside or doing as Ball recommended, these precautions can prevent health problems from occurring later on in life and are worth a try.