Get Up, Stand Up, Move

over the past 100 years, society has evolved such that most of us have deskbased jobs where we sit for hours every day. But humans were built to be physically active on our feet, not to sit for extended periods. And evidence from the growing field of inactivity studies demonstrates that sitting for long periods could possibly be the new smoking in terms of how damaging it can be to your health. Prolonged sitting increases one’s risk of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat and elevated cholesterol and an elevated risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. All this is in addition to the physical damage caused by sitting, including weak abdominal muscles, neck strain and back problems.

When sitting, our bodies go into energy storage mode. Our muscles stop moving, and our heart slows down. The calorie-burning rate drops to about one per minute, a third of what it is when we walk. Our bodies become resistant to insulin (which makes our body use glucose), which could increase the risk of diabetes. And the activity of enzymes that break down lipids in the bloodstream drops, worsening our risk from cardiovascular disease and our cholesterol.

The key is to incorporate standing and walking into everyday activities. Try standing when eating or talking on the phone. Take a few minutes to stretch and move regularly. Walk and talk instead of having meetings at a desk. Go for a walk at lunch. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk or bike to work instead of driving and, if that is not possible, then take the bus – walk to the bus and stand in the bus. Get a standing or walking desk, which are desks with adjustable heights that can be placed above a treadmill.

Taking these get-active steps will make you feel better and have less unhealthy cravings. It will also improve your productivity by decreasing the “falling-asleepat-the-desk” phenomenon. And with the warmer ( weather, there’s no excuse not to get up and get out. —Dr. Zachary Levine