I've heard meditation can produce healthy hormones which increases your bodily health leading to longevity. So perhaps its not in the sitting process but what happens to the mind during these moments of sitting that contribute to ill health. Also how you sit as opposed to pigeonholing all modes of "sitting." prob makes a difference." Of Course, I sit like 26 hours a day and hold a biased POV and munch junk all day.
Deep Vein Thrombosis http://www.medicinenet.com/deep_vein_thrombosis/article.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------- These snips taken from article . . . . Blood returns to the heart because the body's large muscles squeeze the veins as they contract in their normal activity of moving the body. The normal activities of moving the body returns the blood back to the heart. ___________________________________________ What are the causes of deep vein thrombosis? Blood is meant to flow; if it becomes stagnant there is a potential for it to clot. The blood in veins is constantly forming microscopic clots that are routinely broken down by the body. If the balance of clot formation and resolution is altered, significant clotting can occur. A thrombus can form if one, or a combination of the following situations is present. Immobility * Prolonged travel and sitting, such as long airplane flights ("economy class syndrome"), car, or train travel ********** list continues in link above ( edit: I remember years ago an anchorman who traveled overseas then took a long car ride. During the ride he died from this condition of being seated ( combined flight and car travel ) for long periods which lead to DVT. )
interestingly, do you know how Shaolin martial arts originated? Bodhidharma, this Indian fella who was the first to transmit the zen style of Buddhism to China(Zen is not Japanese as is popularly misconceived, it comes from the Chinese character Chan which in turn comes from the Indian sanskrit word Dhyan meaning absorption), went to shaolin temple where he noticed that the monks were sitting in meditation for long hours but were in very poor health. He proceeded to teach them a set of exercises in addition to meditation, now known in chinese as the "72 muscle changing classic", which later evolved into the shaolin martial arts we know today
I suspect the study is flawled. The people sitting the most probably ate the worst foods, it would not be sitting problem but a diet problem
He was a robust young 30 something. He was an embedded journalist squatting in a cramped armored vehicle, unable to move much, during the invasion of Iraq. GC
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yijin_Jing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9A8EIHkiVY&feature=fvw actually read it again should only be 18 movements, but later evolved by shaolin monks over the next few centuries to the 72 shaolin martial arts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_72_Shaolin_martial_arts
wheres the actual study? the article says things like large muscles "shut down"...wtf does that mean? "even those that exercise"...what kind and for how long?? complete useless bs w/o the actual study details