15
2014
Get Up and Move!
An article by Katy Chancey
Comments Off on Get Up and Move! Most of us have some idea that a sedentary lifestyle isn’t good for us. Some of us even make physical activity a priority in our lives – usually with bouts of activity that we schedule before or after our work day, or at lunch. Unfortunately, many people spend the rest of the day sitting still.
There’s a 2013 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (abstract here) that suggests this strategy is better than never exercising, but maybe not as great as we assume.
Researchers compared three groups: a group who sat for 9 hours to simulate a regular work day, a group who exercised for 30 minutes then sat for 9 hours, and a group who got up and walked for a few minutes every 30 minutes (for a total of 30 minutes of walking over the 9 hours). The results were surprising. The intermittent exercise group showed significant reduction in plasma glucose and insulin over both the morning workout group and the completely sedentary group.
The takeaway: A morning or evening workout does not entirely protect you from the detrimental effects of a sedentary job! Get out of that chair and walk around the office!
Want to learn more? The abstract for the study mentioned above can be found here.
About the Author: Katy Chancey
Originally from Canada’s East Coast, Katy came to Ottawa in 2007. She is a former varsity swimmer, a swim coach, and a recreational cyclist and triathlete. Katy is passionate about healthy lifestyles and believes that physical activity is essential to living optimally! When she isn’t working she can be found cycling, skiing, snowshoeing, or running, always in search of an adventure.