How Sitting Negates Your Workout Benefits
When it comes to running and exercising, more is better (in a reasonable manner). But when it comes to sitting, less is more. Runner’s World Newswire reported that the more sitting you do, the more prone you are to being exposed to diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Exercising and staying fit mitigate these risks and decrease your chances of the diagnoses.
A new tool has recently been introduced by Mayo Clinic Proceedings to evaluate the benefits and risks of both running and sitting. This tool subtracts the negative effects of sitting from the positive benefits of running. The University of Texas Southwest Medical Center found that each time unit of sitting cancels out 8 percent of your gain from the same amount of exercise. For example, if you run for an hour then sit for 10 hours, you lose approximately 80 percent of the benefits from the hour run. The 8 percent loss accounts for vigorous exercise such as running, but unfortunately– moderate exercise loses 16 percent of the workout benefit.
These results were gathered from data from the National Education and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). It tracks the nation’s nutrition and exercise habits. This study addresses the question of how much does sitting affect fitness and health? Even though men and women function differently, the results between genders were consistent regarding the win-loss ratio.
Sometimes sitting for hours at a time is unavoidable, especially at work, so the UT Southwestern Center has some suggestions to practice while at the office. Some of the tips include walking up stairs instead of taking the elevator, standing while talking on the phone or working on your computer, taking a walk during a meeting or lunchtime, sitting on a fitness ball instead of a chair, and using a pedometer or fitness band to track your movement. Even little things like fidgeting or shifting positions at your desk make small differences.
