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.
Quality sleep helps
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 index (BMI) is a person’s weight (in kilograms) divided by his height (in meters) squared.
Dr. Andrew Freeman says, “The question is, is restorative, recharging sleep better than sitting on the couch eating or watching TV? I think the answer is yes, because… , because so many people are sleep deprived.” , director of cardiovascular prevention and health at National Jewish Health in Denver. He was not involved in the study.
“Does that mean I should just sleep and avoid cardiovascular risk and hope for improvement? I don’t think this study says that. ‘What would you do if you saw that?’ That’s not exactly what the study says,” 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 do 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise instead of sitting, they get better results, losing well over 1 pound (0.63 kg/m2) and about 1 inch (2.4 centimeters) from their body weight. of fat has been removed. 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.
International studies use objective measures
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.
“The main novelty of the ProPASS consortium is the use of wearable devices that can better differentiate between types of physical activity and posture, allowing us to more accurately estimate 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 percentage points,” 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 percent) or glycated hemoglobin by 1.33 mmol/mol (3.6 percent). ” Average blood sugar reading over a 3-month period.
“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.
Consume an “activity snack”
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 an ‘activity snack’, such as walking while answering a phone call or setting an alarm to wake up every hour to do a star jump, is a great way to build healthy habits into your day by incorporating activity into your day.” A great way to live an active lifestyle. ”
A study published in January showed that just getting up every hour and moving for five minutes can have benefits. 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 are at least three minutes long on average, so you can dance to avoid the negative effects of sitting too much. Bonus: dancing to your favorite songs can also boost your mood!” she said.
