Give Your Chair a Break

April 14, 2019 –

We are (unfortunately) a Couch Potato Nation. Nearly half of us sit for far too many hours a day and don’t get any movementat all. A survey of some 5,900 adults found that nearly 26 percent sit for more than eight hours a day, 45 percent don’t get any moderate or vigorous exercise during the week, and about 11 percent sit more than eight hours a day and are physically inactive. (That is 82% of the population!)

Being sedentary increases the risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and onset early death syndrome (EDS – I made that one up.)  In a November article of The Journal of American Medical Association there are numerous Doctors and Medical Professionals with a litany of blah blah blah that tell us sitting is bad.  Well I like sitting.  But we do need a break from the chair OR your rear end might begin to look like your chair … hopefully not big and flat!  Yes FLAT!

Here is very good chair to try:  The Roman Chair

With all the gizmos and gadgets available to us today … there must be some relief for your poor old chair.  Give your chair a break and get off of it!  Just stand for a few minutes EVERY hour, or better walk to the bathroom, I promise you are legally entitled to go do that necessary evil. Maybe download an AP on your computer with a reminder every 55 minutes to stand for the next 5 minutes.  Yes,  I like it! There are stand up desks (VeriDesk) and desk treadmills available too. How about call a ‘walking meeting’ or “squat party in the break room”?  Come on Y’all, something’s gotta give.

Know that when people sit, they deactivate the large muscles in their legs, hips, and core.  These large muscles typically make up 65% of your metabolism and I am sure you would like those to stay strong.  Sadly the large muscles turn to mush and thus have no more tone.  Mush looks bad too by the way.

As smoking has declined, poor diet and lack of exercise are becoming the leading causes of early death and chronic disease! Many people sit much of the day, and many do little actual exercise. “One in 10 miss out on the benefits of both exercise and intermittent daily motion,” Simply standing up, moving more and sitting less can be beneficial to your health.  

The new edition of the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans says that any amount of physical activity— even two minutes worth — can add up to huge health benefits.  Try this … go walk around the building or out around the parking lot. 

When the new guidelines were released recently, Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said, “Physical activity is about finding opportunities to add movement throughout the day as part of a bigger commitment to healthy living.” Being inactive causes 10 percent of early deaths in the United States, according to Giroir. If 25 percent of inactive people got at least the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, nearly 75,000 premature deaths could be prevented.  WOW!

According to the new guidelines:

• A single bout of physical activity can sharpen your mind, reduce your anxiety lower your blood pressure, improve your sleep and strengthen your body’s ability to convert blood sugar into energy.
• Regular physical activity can improve your brain health, reduce your risk of eight different forms of cancer, and lower your risk for excess weight gain.
• Chronic health conditions improved by physical activity include osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, anxiety and depression.

The latest report was published Nov. 20 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  Plus, I totally agree with these statistics.  Let’s get FIT in 2019!!

I suggest 2 hour long personal training sessions with me weekly AND a 30 minute abdomen and stretching routine I can prescribe to satisfy those easily achievable U.S. Department recommendations.  They can be done by you safely and consistenly … remember 2019 is the Year of YOU!

In good health,

Bob

To enjoy the glow of good health, you must exercise. – Gene Tunney