Friday, September 27, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Do this simple thing to add years to your life
Welcome Back! Here's what's new...
No, it’s not quit smoking, exercising more, or eating a healthy diet I’m talking about; although these things can add years to your life.
You know what it is? Answer: stop sitting too much!
We are living in a society that encourages sitting, thanks to computers. Many jobs require it. Using the computer at home to surf the web, check bank accounts, shop, etc. require it. School requires it. Going to restaurants and coffee shops require sitting. Evidence is showing that prolonged sitting promotes disease, malady and death in epidemic proportions.
The latest study examining the relationship to prolonged sitting and morbidity tracked over 50,000 men and 69,000 women over the course of 13 years. Study participants indicated if they sat less than 3 hours per day total or over six hours per day, total. The results showed that women who sat the most were 37% likely to die, and for men who sat the most, they were 18% more likely to die than the rest of the study participants. The association remained virtually unchanged after adjusting for physical activity level; meaning, a woman who sat for more than six hours a day who exercised regularly stillhad the same chance of dying than a woman who sat for more than six hours per day and did not exercise regularly.
Numerous other studies done in the past show that prolonged time spent sitting, independent of physical activity, affects metabolism and may influence things like triglycerides, high density lipoprotein (HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol) fasting plasma glucose, resting blood pressure, and leptin, which are biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.
It is clear by now that prolonged sitting, which can be defined as over four hours per day, is a threat to your health. There needs to be more public health announcements on this. Imagine the billions of dollars in health care costs that we as a country can realize if everyone knew not to sit too long, as well as all the lives that can be saved.
If you are in a job that requires prolonged sitting, I suggest that you print out the study (link below) and show it to your supervisor. Tell him or her that you take this seriously, and you must be allowed to stand up and walk at least once an hour, for 15 minutes. Or, stand up and walk every 15 minutes of sitting, for about five minutes.
Reference: “Leisure Time Spent Sitting in Relation to Total Mortality in a Prospective Cohort of US Adults.” Alpa V. Patel, et al.
source : http://www.painandinjurydoctor.com/exercises/do-this-simple-thing-to-add-years-to-your-life/
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The Bad Health Effects of Frequent, Prolonged Sitting
I've been saying for many years that one of the best things you can do to improve your health is to be more active. And one of the ways to do it that is low tech and doesn’t require a heck of a lot of thought is making a conscious effort to stand more than you usually do throughout your day; especially for those who have sedentary desk jobs.
When you stand, you burn more calories because you engage your erector spinae muscles, gluteal muscles and of course leg muscles. You can burn at least 100 more calories a day simply by standing for two hours more. It’s also better for your posture. And get this, other research says that sitting can cause your bad cholesterol levels to rise because it deactivates spinal muscles that prefer to burn fatty acids for energy.
A study just a few years ago revealed a positive correlation between hours spent sitting and premature death. The American Cancer Society study found that women who sit for more than six hours a day were about 40% more likely to die during the course of the study than those who sat fewer than three hours per day. Men were about 20% more likely to die. Now that is a risk factor that can easily be avoided.
If you have a desk job that requires sitting two or more hours straight, or is such that it is easy to get caught up in your work and sit for that amount of time or longer (common for software programmers, researchers, accountants and attorneys to name a few) you need to find a way to remind yourself to stand periodically and ideally do some simple exercises while you are at it, like squats, lunges or doing a couple of laps in your building’s staircase or stair well. Incorporating such a simple routine can have a huge impact on your health, now and in the future.
Lastly, check out this modern concept office workstation by Focus. It is much better for your back than traditional workstations that place max pressure on your lumbar discs, potentially increasing your chances of developing degenerative disc disease. The unique design of the Focus workstation results in much less pressure on your lower back and engages the spinal muscles and leg muscles more than a traditional chair with a back rest. This will allow you to work longer hours without as much risk. But still, it’s better to get off your butt every 20-30 minutes and walk to prevent the bad stuff from happening.
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