The simple way to improve your health: Today we look at how 3 minutes could change your life.
The perils of sedentary behavior include shorter longevity, cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, obesity, higher cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, etc.
I am not going to lie: Even though I get far more physical activity than most, I spend a fair amount of my day sitting as a radiation oncologist. I recently learned of a simple way that I can dodge the metabolism-related risks of sitting too long.
Exercise: 3 minutes to better health
A recent small study shows the value of simply standing up and moving periodically. Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm (Sweden) aimed to see if interrupting prolonged sitting improves blood sugar control and other measures of metabolism among obese adults.
The scientists analyzed 16 middle-aged, white-collar workers. All of the subjects had a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Here are the results from this study:
Standing up and moving every half-hour for about three minutes appears to lessen the adverse health effects of sitting too much. As little as 15 steps during these mini-breaks improved blood sugar control.
The activity breaks lowered fasting blood sugar (glucose) levels and daily glucose variation compared with baseline. The subjects also tended to reduce LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels.
The workers did various activities, such as climbing several stairs, knocking out some jumping jacks or squats, or taking as few as 15 steps. The workflow of the workers did not appear to be interrupted.
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