Move more and exercise less
Being active doesn’t necessarily mean having to do an exhausting workout routine. Most of the unhealthy effects in our bodies has to do with the long hours we spend sitting down.
Did you know that sitting down for most of the day has a risk factor equivalent to smoking?
For many that exercise vigorously in the morning before work or immediately after, this seems unfair. But studies have shown that despite exercise, being sedentary for long hours during the day still impacts your body in an unhealthy way.
This has been mostly shown for jobs that restrict your work to a desk whether it’s outside or working from home.
When you think about how many hours you spend sitting down, it quickly adds up. You wake up in the morning and you may drive or catch a bus to work sitting down. Then you may walk a few steps to get to the office and when arriving you may immediately sit down on your desk and may occasionally get up to go to the bathroom or talk to someone. Then when you have a break or lunch, you may go out or eat within the office sitting down to later take the trip back home to finally rest at your couch or bed.
Even though you may have exercised in the morning before getting to work, or after, for about an hour or so, you still spent the same number of hours sitting down throughout the whole day. This can be worst for someone working from home.
Reasons why sitting for so long is bad
We burn less calories and decreases insulin sensitivity (1)
It will eventually lead to weight gain (2)
It leads to heart disease (3)
Puts you in risk of Diabetes type 2 (4)
Higher risk for osteoporosis (5)
Higher risk of cancer (6)
Precursor to cognitive decline and dementia (7)
*All these findings are shared with people who also only did exercise on the weekends.
*Many people who are sedentary for most of the week are the ones who overtrain like: marathons, triathletes, or long bicycle riders. These activities cause damage to muscle, heart, and joints (8).
Exercise alone cannot undo the harm caused by sedentarism or sitting for long hours. Even if you are eating right and spending many days working out, the negative burden is still there, and it is best to take a different approach to avoid it.
How to stay active and not having to actively engage in an exercise routine?
Stand
Try standing or walk for more than 50% of the day.
Use a standing desk.
Take standing breaks.
Walk
Walk more and sit less.
Use a treadmill desk at work.
Hold walking meetings.
Travel to work on bicycle.
Use the stairs whenever you can.
Sign up for hobbies that help you move.
Push
Engage in activities that literally have you push objects.
Aim for a global of 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week.
Get 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.
Complete a total of 30-minute-high intensity level of exercise per week.
All the above can be combined.
Optimizing your activity and benefits
Exercise fights depression and anxiety. It will also combat the effects of stress. Try not to overtrain since that can also cause harm to your body. Signs of overtraining can be:
Insomnia
Brain fog
anxiety
Sore muscles or not recover quickly
Poor performance
waking up tired despite having rested several hours
Using a heart rate monitor can also help track progress.
It helps you track stress vs recovery.
Helps you track progress through time with by monitoring heart rate.
It helps you push yourself more without the risk of overtraining.
Conclusion
The modern lifestyle is fast paced and trying to find more time to stay healthy is not easy. The first step to achieve this goal is to find ways to implement these changes and movements throughout your day and routine. This will allow you to not worry about having to complete a 5-day exercise routine in your week, away from home or from doing the hobbies you love. Try and incorporate them in your workplace and diversify your options. This will slowly improve your overall health and help keep chronic disease away.
References
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21164543/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22450936/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2533676
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/21/1357
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4519030/
https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/106/7/dju206/1010488
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0195549
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21330616/
