Can Standing Up More Prevent a Heart Attack?
If you are have a desk job that requires you to sit for long periods of time, you might want to pay special attention. While you may know that this type of job predisposes you to obesity, what you may not know is that you are also at a greater risk for heart disease and diabetes. Researchers have also determined that people who are sedentary for long periods at a time have higher blood pressure, elevated levels of bad cholesterol and higher triglycerides as compared to other people who stood on their feet more and walked more.
The Problem with Sitting
In our modern society, many people don’t realize the extent to which our bodies are designed to move and be physically active. Next to sleeping, sitting is the most passive activity you can engage in. Did you know that chewing gum burns more calories than just simply sitting? Standing, on the other hand, engages the muscles in your legs and lower back and burns twice as many calories as sitting does.
To further add to the problem of prolonged sitting are some physiological findings revealed by studies done over the last several decades. Scientists have focused their attention to a particular enzyme, called lipoprotein lipase. Produced in many tissues of the body, including muscles, this enzyme is partially responsible for metabolizing fat in the blood. Studies performed on rats indicate that levels of lipoprotein lipase, crucial to proper metabolism, were adversely affected by muscle inactivity. However, the leg muscles of rats produced adequate amounts when they were flexed by standing or walking. This important conclusion implies that when you sit for long periods of time, your metabolism is slowed to a crawl and important metabolic functions cease to be performed, resulting in a number of health issues.
How Do We Combat the Effects of Sitting too long?
Sitting for too long of a time has been shown to be detrimental to over-all health and well-being. Therefore, it is important to get creative and come up with some solutions to this growing problem.
• Sit on an exercise ball instead of an office chair.
• Stand to talk on the phone.
• Get up and walk at least two times every hour.
• Invest in a stand-up desk.
• Stretch or do calisthenics at your desk.
• Put a portable pedal exerciser under your desk.
• Walk to deliver messages instead of e-mailing.
If the latest studies are true, then we may need to make some major adjustments to the way that we work. Taking some simple precautions by incorporating periods of standing and walking into your workday could improve your heart health and reduce your risk factors for diabetes and obesity.
The Problem with Sitting
In our modern society, many people don’t realize the extent to which our bodies are designed to move and be physically active. Next to sleeping, sitting is the most passive activity you can engage in. Did you know that chewing gum burns more calories than just simply sitting? Standing, on the other hand, engages the muscles in your legs and lower back and burns twice as many calories as sitting does.
To further add to the problem of prolonged sitting are some physiological findings revealed by studies done over the last several decades. Scientists have focused their attention to a particular enzyme, called lipoprotein lipase. Produced in many tissues of the body, including muscles, this enzyme is partially responsible for metabolizing fat in the blood. Studies performed on rats indicate that levels of lipoprotein lipase, crucial to proper metabolism, were adversely affected by muscle inactivity. However, the leg muscles of rats produced adequate amounts when they were flexed by standing or walking. This important conclusion implies that when you sit for long periods of time, your metabolism is slowed to a crawl and important metabolic functions cease to be performed, resulting in a number of health issues.
How Do We Combat the Effects of Sitting too long?
Sitting for too long of a time has been shown to be detrimental to over-all health and well-being. Therefore, it is important to get creative and come up with some solutions to this growing problem.
• Sit on an exercise ball instead of an office chair.
• Stand to talk on the phone.
• Get up and walk at least two times every hour.
• Invest in a stand-up desk.
• Stretch or do calisthenics at your desk.
• Put a portable pedal exerciser under your desk.
• Walk to deliver messages instead of e-mailing.
If the latest studies are true, then we may need to make some major adjustments to the way that we work. Taking some simple precautions by incorporating periods of standing and walking into your workday could improve your heart health and reduce your risk factors for diabetes and obesity.
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