Are you sitting too much?

By Carrie Bohlmann
Get up and move: go on a walk with a co-worker or a loved one. You'll feel much better!

Get up and move: go on a walk with a co-worker or a loved one. You’ll feel much better!

Get up and move!

In today’s world of tablets, smart phones, laptops, and video games, people are becoming too sedentary: as a result, this is causing an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart and blood vessel diseases, higher rates of breast and colon cancer, and other related health problems.

 

And the kicker is: you can still meet your recommended daily activity goals and still be too sedentary!

 

According to Dale Bond, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Brown University Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, in addition to aerobic exercise (30 minutes daily) and resistance training (at least 2 times per week)–which you should already be doing–we need to add a third type of daily activity to our lives: reducing sitting time.

In a 1950s study,  men who performed physically active jobs experienced less heart disease in middle age than those who had more sedentary jobs. We’ve got more sedentary jobs now than ever before, don’t we?

 

So, here are some tips on sitting less at work and home! 

These will help lower your triglycerides, raise your HDL (good) cholesterol, and decrease waist circumference:

  • Take the stairs!
  • Personally deliver your messages to co-workers rather than emailing them.
  • Walk around the block or your office building after eating lunch.
  • For a quick 1-1 meeting, take a walk rather than sitting in the office.
  • Ask your company for a standing desk. They are all the rage right now! I’m standing as I write this.
  • Park your car at the farthest spot, rather than the closest.
  • Limit TV watching to your favorites: set your DVR so you can skip commercials and do sit ups, push ups and stretches while watching
  • Pace while talking on the phone.
  • Get up every 30 minutes to take a walk/stretch break while playing games, emails, Facebook, etc. (set an alarm)
  • Take a walk after dinner. (I love this one!)
  • While watching kids’ sporting events, walk the sidelines rather than sitting the entire time.

 

Employing these little tricks can make a huge difference in your health, and you are worth it!

Got tight psoas muscles and glutes from all that sitting? Request an appointment with me this week so we can get those knots out!

Posted in Health Tips