I ran across an article in the New York Times several weeks ago titled “Is Sitting a Lethal Activity”. Most of us intuitively know the importance of exercise: it helps us maintain proper weight, strengthens cardiovascular health, supports better moods, and deters osteoporosis. And yet, only about half of Americans exercise 3 or more times a week, and more than 31% of Americans do not exercise at all.
Research studies and the media frequently explore the negative effects of not exercising, but until recently the profound impact of a sedentary lifestyle was overlooked. New research by Marc Hamilton, an inactivity researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, shows that conventional wisdom on exercise and diet may be missing a key point: that sitting and inactivity is it own independent pathology.
What does this mean, exactly? While sitting:
-Electrical activity in the muscle stops— leading to a cascade of harmful metabolic effects. Your calorie-burning rate immediately plunges to about one per minute, a third of what it would be if you got up and walked. (Source: NYT)
-Insulin effectiveness drops within a single day, and the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes rises. (Source: NYT)
-The risk of being obese rises as well. The enzymes responsible for breaking down lipids and triglycerides — for “vacuuming up fat out of the bloodstream,” as Hamilton puts it — plunge, which in turn causes the levels of good (HDL) cholesterol to fall. (Source: NYT)
-Being sedentary for nine hours a day at the office is bad for your health whether you go home and watch television afterward or hit the gym. It is bad whether you are morbidly obese or marathon-runner thin. (Source: NYT)
But before you give up your expensive gym membership, remember there are many creative ways to augment pre/post-work exercise throughout the day.
-Set a timer to go off every 30 minutes and stretch in your office, walk to the bathroom or just stand up and type while moving your legs (I’m doing this now)
-When you are on a conference call, take it standing up
-Walk instead of calling to set up a meeting
-Take the stairs whenever you can
-Purchase one of those silly under-desk peddling machines
-Fidget more and bounce your legs while you are sitting, reading or watching TV
-Pace or do jumping jacks during TV commercials
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, is to mindfully schedule some quality downtime each day. When we create space for deliberate still-time (without the added input of TV or reading), we give our body the chance to assimilate experience, emotion, food and breath. These are our fundamental building blocks for true health and happiness.
See you in the treatment room.
