To sit or stand, that is the question, the answer is move!
How many of you think we burn more energy standing rather than sitting? I hope most of you chose standing, although if you were sitting and marching, or standing and marching it might be a different story. The latest research shows that indeed there is more calories expended, standing 6-8% more than sitting. However, if you really want to expand some calories, sit to stand ten times! The increases in caloric expenditure increases 32%!
The simple act of sitting is not the real culprit here, it is the simple act of not moving and sitting or not moving and standing. Why is this important? If we sit for a long period of time our weight bearing muscles are not contracting, and therefore do not get a chance to utilize the sugars and fats circulating in our body. Sedentary behavior also leads to reduced blood flow-
so on that note-Im going out for a walk! Be back in an hour!
Researchers who study sedentary behavior, yes there is such a network, (sedentarybehavior.org) found the greatest expenditure of calories in a 10 minute period came from those who stood up every 30 seconds of the minute, 32% more than sitting.
It is said that as we age we are more sedentary, although there is a lot of sitting going on with younger generations and the fact that we are no longer hunter and gatherers, doesn’t help either! A second study done with a large group of women ages 63-99, found that those who were sedentary for the longest sustained block of time had the highest odds of having type two diabetes.
The clear findings in both studies is that we have to break up our sedentary behavior with movement. We are not talking about going to the gym here, we are talking; moving, walking around, heal raises, knee raises, partial squats, to combat our sustained period of sitting. (Yes even if we have been to the gym earlier) How do you break up your sitting time? I am partial to anything with a beat, in between blogging and researching!
Have a great week and remember to move!
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