Misery loves company, so I’m sharing this Runners World article about how a day spent at your desk can almost totally negate the run you did that morning. Lately the health community has been focusing on the importance of moving and standing more throughout the day, instead of being glued to your chair. Now a study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings explains how to subtract the negative effects of sitting all day from the positive effects of your workout. AWESOME.
If you don’t have time to read the RW article here are the highlights:
“According to a research team from the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center, each time unit of sitting cancels out 8 percent of your gain from the same amount of running. In other words, if you run for an hour in the morning, and then sit for 10 hours during the day, you lose roughly 80 percent of the health benefit from your morning workout.
People who engage in an hour of moderate-intensity exercise–running is considered vigorous exercise–fare much worse. They lose 16 percent of their workout gain from each hour of sitting.”
What? A 10 hour day of sitting negates 80% of your run?
What can the average person, who has an hour of commuting plus an 8-9 hour work day, do to counter this?
Stand up on the subway and don’t hold on to the pole, even when the train stops and starts (urban surfing, woo-hoo!)
Stop G-chatting your coworkers and get up to gossip about your boss with them face to face.
Walk more by getting off the bus before your usual stop or taking the stairs.
Just find any excuse to move and stand more throughout the day!
Here’s the entire article:
Thanks to my fabulous client, Gwen for sending it to me!
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