Stand up if you want to lose weight
ACCORDING to research, the biggest difference between people of average weight and those who are overweight isn’t related to diet or exercise, but to the amount of time they are seated.
This is because of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, found in the cells that line the tiny blood vessels of muscles and in fatty tissue, where it plays a critical role in the breakdown of fat.
When you stand, the postural muscles that support your weight – mostly in your legs – release this enzyme, which helps burn fat.
But when you sit still and don’t shift every 30 to 90 seconds, as the body is inclined to do naturally, the fat remains in the arteries and can be stored as body fat.
Studies have shown that a typical day of sitting lowers lipoprotein-lipase activity in animals by 90–95 per cent, and we can safely assume that the effect is similar in humans.
When we are sitting, there are no muscle contractions and it’s those muscle contractions that helps the body’s efficiency to clear blood-sugar levels and blood-fat levels.
It’s known that elevated glucose levels can lead to inflammation which, if repeated on a number of days or weeks, can lead to heart disease and a host of other conditions, such as cancer. In fact, elevated glucose levels are implicated in almost every chronic disease.
All that is required is movement, incorporated throughout the day.
A gentle walk for two minutes every 20 minutes can lower blood-glucose levels by about 30 per cent.