(Newser)
– If you refuse to call yourself a “couch potato” because you’re avidly doing 30-minute workouts each day, you’re actually sedentary most of the time. It could still be a couch potato. — just an “active” one. And what that means is that you may still be vulnerable to many health issues. washington post It calls “radical new research” looking at how sedentary behavior can interfere with the good effort people are making to exercise.For research published in journals Medicine and Science in Sport and ExerciseScientists asked over 3,700 men and women to wear activity trackers for a week.
The tracker measured movement (or lack thereof) in 6-second increments, and by analyzing this data, scientists were able to divide the subjects into four groups. About a third of the participants said he sat for more than 10 hours a day and rarely got up, whereas the group’s “active couch potato” did a solid 30 minutes of moderate exercise. rice field. A second group, “sedentary light movers,” also exercised for 30 minutes each day, but these subjects also engaged in “light activities,” such as getting up and walking around, for nearly an additional 90 minutes.3 A second group, sedentary exercisers, moved little during the day and increased their daily exercise to 1 hour. Meanwhile, her fourth group, called “people on the move,” exercised for an hour each day, and nearly he did two hours of light activity. .
After adjusting for smoking, sleep habits, income, and other factors, and examining cholesterol, glycemic control, and body fat percentage in all groups, study authors found that active couch potatoes performed the worst on all fronts. The other group said, “Everyone was in good condition and about the same.” Position, about 8% less body fat than an active couch potato. writing.of Position Note the limitations of this study, including the fact that most of the subjects were Caucasian and hail from one country. Also, there was no control group of completely sedentary subjects.
Still, the researchers encourage people to get up and move around throughout the day, even if they don’t believe they can hit the “sweet spot” of 90 minutes of light activity.Vahid Farrahi, lead author of the study. movement should be beneficial,” says Farahi. “Solutions don’t have to be intimidating…I just tell myself to look out the window.” eat this, don’t eat that The site offers other tips on how to get more movement and break a sedentary habit, like taking more walks with your pet, taking a walk away from your desk job, or taking a few steps on the treadmill while watching TV. Standing desks at table height are also useful, as standing uses more energy than sitting. (Read more discovery stories.)
