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Research shows that sitting too much can lead to premature death from chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Obviously, the solution is to get up from your socks and move on.
A new analysis based on a body of evidence shows that moderate to vigorous physical activity, such as running, brisk walking, cycling, swimming, and even climbing stairs, has the greatest weight loss benefits.
Experts say you can sing while talking, but exercise at a moderate intensity. High-intensity exercise occurs when you can only say a few words without stopping to breathe.
Additionally, other less strenuous activities can be helpful as well. The study was published Thursday in the European Heart Journal This includes “sleep,” which may surprise you.
Simply swapping 30 minutes of sitting for 30 minutes of sleep each day reduced your overall body weight by nearly 1 pound (0.43 kg/sq m) and reduced your waistline by approximately two-thirds of an inch (1.75 cm). Research has revealed this. body mass indexor BMI, is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.
“The question is, if sleep can be restorative or recharging, is it better than sitting on the couch and eating or watching TV? Because so many people are sleep deprived. , I think the answer is yes,” said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and health at National Jewish Health in Denver. He was not involved in the study.
“Does that mean I can just sleep and hope to avoid and improve my cardiovascular risks? I don’t think this study says that. “What do you do when you watch TV?’ That’s not exactly what the research is saying,” Freeman said.
“Eating right, exercising, reducing stress, getting enough sleep, and connecting with others are all powerful ways to reduce cardiovascular risk.”
light standing activity
The study found that people who replaced 30 minutes of sitting with an equal amount of standing or light activity such as walking saw similar effects in weight loss and waist circumference reduction.
“Replacing sedentary behavior with some activity can improve body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, cholesterol, and triglycerides,” the authors said in a statement.
Research has found that activity intensity has benefits. When people replaced sitting with 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, the results increased and they lost well over 1 pound (0.63 kg/m3).2) and remove about 1 inch (2.4 centimeters) of fat from around your waist.
“It may not be surprising that being more active is beneficial for heart health, but what’s new about this study is that it takes into account a range of behaviors across 24 hours a day. ” said co-author and clinical professor Mark Hammer. Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, University College London.
“This approach will ultimately allow us to provide personalized recommendations and help people become more active in a way that works for them,” Hammer said in a statement. .
This new study is the first published by the international Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleeping (ProPASS) consortium, a multinational study that uses objective measures to analyze behavior.
“An important new feature of the ProPASS consortium is the use of wearable devices that can better differentiate between types of physical activity and posture, allowing for more accurate estimates of the health impact of even subtle changes. ” said co-author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis. He spoke in a statement about physical activity, lifestyle and public health at the University of Sydney.
A team of researchers from University College London analyzed the results of six studies by authors based in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The study found that replacing sitting with sleep improved health, but the effects were not equal, the authors said. Although sleep improved BMI and waist circumference, it had a “negligible effect on blood-based markers” such as cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar levels.
However, the intense activity had significant benefits. The authors estimated the change in her 54-year-old woman with an average BMI of 26.5.
“A 30-minute change led to a 0.64 decrease in BMI, a difference of 2.4%,” the authors’ statement said. “Replacing 30 minutes of sitting or lying down each day with moderate or vigorous exercise could reduce waist circumference by 2.5 cm (2.7%) or glycated hemoglobin by 1.33 mmol/mol (3.6%). Yes.” Measures blood sugar levels for 3 months.
“The big takeaway from our study is that even small changes in the way you move can have a positive impact on your heart health, but the intensity of your movements is important,” said the first author. said Joe Blodgett, a researcher at the National Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health. University College London announced this in a statement.
Getting active isn’t always easy, but it’s important to make changes that you enjoy and stick to, said James Leiper, deputy medical director at the British Heart Foundation, who was not involved in the study.
“Anything that gets your heart rate up will help,” Leiper said in a statement. “Incorporating activity snacks, such as walking while on the phone, or setting an alarm and getting up every hour to do star jumps, is a great way to incorporate activity into your day and create a healthy lifestyle habit. It’s the way to live an active lifestyle. ”
Research shows that just getting up and moving for five minutes every hour can help. Published in January. Pieces of movement can help improve cardiovascular tone: Study participants were shown to lower blood pressure by walking for just one minute every hour, the study showed.
What do you do if you work for a boss who frowns upon taking breaks? CNN fitness contributor and mind-body coach for professional athletes, Dana Santas, says it’s not in the workplace culture. If so, he said, moving doesn’t necessarily have to mean leaving your desk.
“Practicing the box squat is as simple as standing up, slowly sitting back down, standing up again, and repeating the movement over and over again,” Santa said in an email.
If you have more space to move around than a desk, Santa may want to take a break with a dance.
“Most songs average at least three minutes, so dancing can help you avoid the negative effects of sitting too much. Plus, dancing to your favorite songs can also boost your mood,” she said.
