2020-05-01_Good_Health

Just like advice to get more sleep

is impossible for the person who

works three jobs, being told to

dramatically reduce your sitting

hours isn’t that achievable when

your job or education is argely

seated work. Unless you pan

onresigningandmakinga

careerchange,there’s

onlysomuchthat

youcangetdone

awayfromyour

desk!Andif

addinginadaily

workoutdoesn’t

doanawfullotto

offsetthenegative

repercussions

either,whatis

thealternative?

JoanVernikos,theformer

directoroflifesciencesatNASA

andauthorofSittingKills,Moving

Heals,saidthatthesimpleactof

standinguponceevery

30 minutes can go a long way

to help with keeping the body

stimuated, and several studies

are in support of this theory.

“It's not how long you stay

standing, but how often you

stand up, how often you

challengeyourbody

torespond,”Joan

expained.“What

providesthe

baselineof

physiological

activityinthe

bodyissmallto

argemovement,

intermittentlyall

day,everyday.”

Investingina

comfortablepairofshoes

andwalkingyourcommute

canbeafantasticwaytoadd

movementintoyourworkweek.

Duringworkhours,getinto

thehabitoftakingphonecalls

whilewalkingaround,have

meetingsstandinguporon

themove,andgoandtalkto

peopleinsteadofemailing

them.Atlunchtime,getup

fromyourdesktoeat,before

takingawalkforaneven

biggerdoseofmovement.

It’snotaboutdoingmore

exercise–it’ssimplyabout

movingmore.

Brain benefits
It’s no secret that when you or
someone you know is having a lousy
day, one of the most effective ways
to feel better in a flash is to get up
and move. Keeping your sedentary
hours to a minimum could actually
be crucial for taking care of your
brain and mental wellbeing.
People who sit more have higher
risks of both anxiety and depression,
and a number of cross-sectional
studies have demonstrated that
sedentary behaviours are inversely
associated with good psychological
wellbeing. As far as memory is
concerned, one recent study that
took 35 healthy adults aged between
45 and 75 found that the more time
they spend sitting, the thinner their
tissues were in the parts of the brain
associated with memory, where
tissue decline is often a precursor to
dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Finding your movement
Unfortunately, finding a window
in your day to squeeze in some
exercise isn’t enough to wipe the
slate clean.
That same study examining brain
tissue thickness found that while
sitting time had a significant effect;
exercise did not undo the negatives.
There is a solid base of evidence
suggesting that even if you have
the most vigorous daily workout
routine, you are still at a high risk
of experiencing negative health
effects if the rest of your day is spent
mostly sitting.
This is not to say you should ditch
your workout routine, as exercise
offers its own incredible range of
health benefits, but reducing your
sitting time is essential.
To assess how sedentary your
lifestyle is, try asking yourself: If
you removed your exercise from
your day, would the rest of your
waking hours be described as active
orinactive?

Simple changes

make your move

‘it’s

not how

long you stay

standing, but

how often

you stand

up’

TEXT

ERIN FISHER

PHOTOGRAPHY

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