Do you exercise? Yes, at least sometimes? Good. But do you NON-exercise? It’s the new black!
If you love your body and soul, regardless of exercise, you’ll need to become an expert in non-exercise.
Research has exploded all over mainstream health media with the following headlines: “Sitting Kills” (gives new meaning to the Fonz’s Happy Days put down, doesn’t it). Regardless of how much you weigh or how often you “exercise,” prolonged sitting shortens your lifespan and drains quality living from your body. Like trans-fats, sitting is the new great evil.
For years we’ve been trying to promote “physical activity” that is part of one’s daily routine. Move more. That’s one of our core messages: Move more in any way possible, in any situation, in any clothing, in any space. Now we have robust evidence backing our mantras. The leading sitting study that caught people’s attention in late 2010, by Peter Katzmarzyk, Ph.D. and Marc Hamilton, Ph.D. from Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, looked at 17,000 people and found that those who sat more than 9 hours a day were 54 percent more likely to experience a heart attack regardless of all other health indicators. Read more about the research and the true evils of sitting in this excellent article by Maria Masters of Men’s Health where she coins the term Chair-Potato Lifestyle.
The research is clear that sitting too much offsets much of the good we do to exercise each day. The research threw me as a health science professional because it has a new spin. We know that prolonged sitting does correlate to weight gain (among other complications), but being overweight, or not, had no bearing on risk in this research. We also know exercise counts for something good in our lives. No matter how you get it, 30 minutes of pumping up your heart rate and breathing, each day, adds 2 years to your life (Surgeon General’s Report in Physical Activity, 1999; American Heart Association and American College of Sports Medicine, 2007; ACSM 2009). This was a tough target for many Americans even then, yet this new evidence is saying that a 30 minute bout is not enough.
Prior to this surge of sitting research, the Institute of Medicine also came out with a statement that we require 60 minutes of exercise a day for weight loss (IOM 2002). Americans shuddered, knowing they weren’t even hitting the 30 minute mark. The American College of Sports Medicine then seconded that position emphasizing the need for 60 minutes of exercise to impact health issues such as depression, sleep disorders, anxiety, and other complications in 2008. They developed a task force and a call to action now titled “Exercise is Medicine.”
So now what? With this sitting news telling us that even our daily exercise isn’t enough? What ARE the guidelines and what ought we do to stay healthy? It’s a tad confusing if not mighty tough terms to meet!
Don’t panic. Plainly put, we are clear that moving more, all day long, is really what our bodies need. Honestly, we didn’t need research for that, but the slap is a good wake up call. If ever there was a better time to shout it out: EVERY BIT COUNTS.
Some of that moving should be toward the vigorous side (a noticeable lift in breathing and heart rate, and a little, or a lot, of sweat doesn’t hurt) — make it 30 minutes, easily broken into three 10 minute sessions a day, and you can check off the guidelines and less sitting boxes in one fell swoop.
Some of that moving could be quite vigorous if you have various goals (such as weight loss or quelling a health condition, or if you’re training for a competitive sport or event).
By in large, beyond those 30 minutes, most of that moving should be to get the blood circulating, the bones creaking, and the muscles flexing and stretching every hour or so. Move oxygen to the brain, feed the joints and you’ll feed your soul another several years of quality living. We exercise scientists call this “Non-exercise Activity” and it will save your life. Exactly how much of this is needed remains to be seen — that’s the next wave of research needed.
Intuitively, however, we know it doesn’t take much to open up the body and get the blood flowing again. We’ll work with you over time in this blog and in our various programs on reminders and tips. Suffice it to say, getting out of your chair every 30 minutes to stretch and strengthen can go a long way. Stayed tuned to our Monday posts for a great sources of non-exercise activity ideas.
When it comes to exercise and nutrition health, there is so little that we know, so little that we can truly confirm as definitive. So when firm results abound, we ought to listen. Like sleep, we must now say moving more is not optional. We cannot change the great land of technology within which we live or the hard working schedules we must now abide in this tough economy. What we can change is how we choose to nurture our bodies in the midst of all these gosh darn chairs.
Me, I’m going to take my cues from Winnie, my dog. She’s up every 15-20 minutes for a quick drink of water, two huge stretches, a big yawn, a sniff around the house, and back into a tiny ball of fur on the couch in less than 2 minutes. Then, twice a day she tosses her toys for about 15 minutes, and once a day she runs barefoot with me for 30 minutes. Now that is the good life!
Get on your feet, and make it happen, people! I need you. Your family needs you. Your dog needs you. Most of all, you need you. Love your body, love your soul. Move more and live to tell about it.
Send us your favorite Move More tips to minimize sitting.
See you out there!