when Keith Diaz was a doctoral student At Temple University, he came across the following headline runner’s world A magazine that seemed too wild. “[The] the headline is [something] Like, ‘sitting is the new smoking,’ even if you’re exercising, even if you’re a runner,” he says. reverse. How is that possible? Exercise, Diaz thought, has so many benefits to the body and benefits over the long term that decades of scientific research say. How can I immediately negate all health benefits like the reverse card?
It turned out that I sat for a long time, whether I sat on the couch or not catch up Westworld doing desk work, teeth very bad for your health. Sitting for longer than 6 hours Associated with many metabolic disorders Diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, premature death, etc. In older people, sedentary behavior can thin parts of the brain that are important for memory formation. According to some studies.
Perhaps the only antidote is to move as much as possible.But like any drug, you need a minimum or optimal dose and frequency, right? It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the middle of a long time. paper published Thursday in the journal Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercisehe arrived at the sweet spot: 5 minutes of walking for every 30 minutes of sitting.
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science in practice — In previous researchDiaz and a group of researchers found that when 30 minutes of sitting was replaced with 30 minutes of physical activity, individuals reduced their risk of death by 17% with light-intensity exercise and 34% with moderate-to-vigorous exercise. discovered.
Well, if you think about hitting the treadmill right away every time Episode of kaleidoscope It may not sound very appetizing, but Diaz wanted to see if condensing physical activity into manageable, bite-sized “snacks” would have immediate health benefits.
“We decided to focus on blood sugar and blood pressure, apart from the fact that they are easy to measure. [because] We wanted something clinically relevant that was important to physicians,” he says.
Researchers trekked 11 healthy middle-aged and older adults into a lab at Columbia University eight hours a day, five days a week for several weeks for five different trials. During each trial, volunteers tried one specific sitting exercise routine with either a 1-minute break every 30 or 60 minutes, or a 5-minute break every 30 or 60 minutes. During breaks, volunteers performed light-intensity walking on a treadmill. Volunteers were also provided a breakfast of mostly cereal and a lunch of vegetable lasagna and potato chips. Blood glucose levels were checked at 15 minute intervals and blood pressure, an indicator of cardiovascular health, was checked hourly during each trial. (There was also a control trial in which he did nothing but sit in an ergonomic chair and do whatever the volunteer wanted to do for eight hours without any physical activity. Don’t worry, they also had bathroom breaks.)
Diaz and his colleagues found that of all the different routines, 30 minutes of sitting followed by a 5-minute walk had the greatest impact on short-term health. Values were reduced by 58% compared to the control trial (a 1 minute walking break after 30 minutes also led to a modest reduction).
Blood pressure was reduced by 4-5 millimeters of mercury (the standard measure of blood pressure) in all walking rest routines compared to the control group. According to Diaz, this effect is comparable to the reduction you would expect from exercising daily for six months.
Why it’s a hack — Think of these microbursts of physical activity, such as if you’re taking a daily multivitamin or necessary medications. Similarly, you should do this movement every day,” Diaz says.
They’re also a great way to tune in to a mood booster, literally sprinkling pep on your feet throughout the day. “Compared with sitting all day, every 30 minutes he took a 5-minute light walk reduced fatigue and improved mood.”
Studies show that regular exercise can relieve depression and anxiety by releasing feel-good endorphins and cannabis-like natural chemicals from your brain that can boost your well-being. According to the Mayo ClinicIt also helps with dementia. Reduce the risk of neurocognitive disorders As in dementia, cognitive improvements were not what this study noticed with short walking breaks.
Still, the positive reinforcement of feeling better and being more productive after a brisk walk or other physical activity alleviates the minor annoyance of waking up in the middle of writing an email and is essentially healthy. It may encourage people to continue good habits. Emily MailyAn associate professor of exercise at Kansas State University, who was not involved in the study, said: reverse.
“I think these numbers will help people understand what we’re talking about and where the benefits work,” she says. You probably need to be a little more flexible… figure out what works for you. But I think it’s important to highlight some of the emotional consequences, such as fatigue.
Impact on longevity — While it’s reasonable to speculate that a daily walk break throughout the day could lead to better health and longevity down the road, Diaz said the study’s focus was really on short-term health. I’m here.
“In my opinion [in] “Historically in the field of exercise, we have overlooked the emphasis on acute effects,” he says. because of its severe effect on blood sugar levels.”
Regular light walking breaks aren’t likely to boost your cardio, and Diaz doesn’t recommend ultra-high-intensity workouts like Zumba or kickboxing, but multivitamins can help you maintain a healthy diet. Just like supplementing, you should supplement your main course of exercise.
“You wouldn’t expect your body to adapt so much with this kind of light exercise activity,” he says.
It’s also important to keep in mind that this study was conducted in a controlled laboratory setting and in older but healthy individuals. A person may feel greater benefits within 1 minute of walking or other light physical activity than 5 minutes after 30 minutes. (The optimal duration and frequency of walking breaks for people with pre-existing health conditions is a problem Diaz and his colleagues hope to address next.)
“We know exercise is beneficial, there’s no question about it,” says Diaz. “Whether it’s a treadmill desk or an under-seat bike, if we can find a way to incorporate movement, I think it will help. Our study tested only walking tests, but aerobic We do not expect different forms of exercise or different results.”
So, dear readers, it’s time for a five-minute walk.
Hack score out of 10 — 🚶🏾♀️🚶🏽♂️🚶🏿🚶🏻♀️🚶🏼♂️🚶🏿♀️🚶🏻🚶🏼♀️ (Exercise “Snack” 8/10)
