Sitting Down
Do you exercise consistently but still struggle to see any physical change? The reason might be due to a very important lifestyle factor completely separate from your workout routine that can literally reverse the benefits of exercise. If you think about the proportion of a 1-hour workout to the time spent in the rest of the day, your workout makes up a very small percentage of your life. It’s very clear that strength training and cardio are mandatory for a well-rounded healthy body. However, recent studies have shown that what you do with the remaining waking hours of your day is even more important for a healthy metabolism and lean body.
We are told by physical activity guidelines set by the government that we should be getting in at least 150 minutes of easy cardio every week. Unfortunately 75% of Americans don’t even reach this minimum. Additionally, the 25% of people who do hit 150 minutes may still be at high risk for metabolic dysfunction and disease due to their eating habits and how they spend their time during the remaining hours of the day. So what is this deadly habit that can literally reverse the benefits of exercise and drastically increase all-cause mortality in all people? The culprit is sitting.
Many studies have been published recently demonstrating the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle and the results are startling. In one study researchers compared two groups of people that were forced to sit for 13 hours per day and limit themselves to 4,000 total steps. One group simply sat around and limited their step count while the other added in a full hour of cardiovascular exercise first thing in the morning. What researchers found is that there was no difference in plasma triglycerides or metabolic benefit between the groups, demonstrating that the sitting essentially negated the positive effects of the morning exercise the second group performed.
(No difference was seen in metabolic markers between the sedentary group or the group that added in exercise)
In addition to offsetting the benefits of exercise, multiple studies have demonstrated the increase in all-cause mortality from sitting too much. This means that the more you sit throughout the day the more likely you are to die, plain and simple. This alone should be motivation to get up and get moving. So what should you focus on if you have a sedentary job/lifestyle and you are already getting in your 150 minutes of cardio on top of your strength training? I want you to stop worrying too much about the amount of minutes of exercise you are getting in and start focusing on reducing the time you are sitting down.
If you work a desk job or simply don’t move much because of habit or lack of motivation, try focusing on “micro-workouts.” For a week try moving for 2-5 minutes every hour. Set an alarm if you have to in order to remind yourself to get up and move. These micro-workouts can consist of a single set of pushups, body weight squats, situps or jumping jacks, or a quick walk around your house/outside. It should not require much mental or physical effort at all. Anybody can get up and move for just a couple minutes, it just takes prioritizing it and prioritizing your health.
If you are tracking steps, studies have shown that around 8,500 per day is where the most benefit lies in terms of maximizing health and time. This should not take up a large amount of your day, and the beauty is that you can get steps in while being productive and doing other things you need to do throughout the day. If you really want to take it to the next level consider a standing desk or taking work or personal calls while walking outside. Try fitting in more movement into your day by walking to the store or walking your kids to school. Regardless of your situation, try to think of ways to get these micro-workouts in consistently or talk to me to help you develop a plan.