A warm welcome to all our new subscribers - it was a pleasure meeting you at the National Capital Cat Show this past weekend! It was a very successful weekend, and I did what I love best: talking to cat parents about cat health, nutrition and, of course, 
By Woody McMahon
Recent research has shown that your body will be less healthy the more sedentary your lifestyle. A landmark study conducted in 2009 states the following: "prolonged bouts of sitting time and lack of whole-body muscular movement are strongly associated with obesity, abnormal glucose metabolism, diabetes, metabolic syndrome,cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and cancer as well as total mortality. What does this all mean?
Move It or Lose It
What the researchers found was that too much sitting can negate exercise-based health gains. Just by spending less time sitting, you can significantly improve your health and reinforce your exercise efforts. Researchers also found that for "each 1-hour increase in sitting time increased the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in women by 26%, independent of the amount of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical exercise performed. This was approximately the same quantity of decreased risk (28%) of the metabolic syndrome that was induced by 30 minutes of extra physical exercise."
What This All Means
The authors have discovered an important premise when it comes to your health and activity levels. They agree that exercise-based physical activity improves your health in many ways. No one argues this point any more. What they were also able to show was that non-exercise activity was as important to your health as structured exercise. Examples of non-exercise-based activity include using the stairs, housework, walking to the copier or bathroom, and walking instead of using a car. The authors found that the more non-exercise activity you incorporate into your daily life, the less chance you have of developing the diseases mentioned above.
When You Exercise, Do Not Sit
Unless you are forced to exercise sitting because of severe balance or leg problems, don't. When you sit, the compressive forces on your spine are multiplied 100-fold. Combine the sitting position with say an overhead press ,and you are creating a potentially dangerous situation inviting vertebral fractures. This is especially true if you are over age 50 or have been diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis. The best solution is to stand for a majority of your exercise program. That way you will be improving your balance and core strength with each and every exercise and sparing your spine.
Activity Substitutions Can Boost Health
The authors of this study are NOT saying that you should stay in constant motion during the day. Sleep, resting and daily naps are all still very good health practices as is participating in a regular exercise session. What they are suggesting is that your health can be significantly improved
by just moving a little bit more during the day. They also say that when creating a healthy activity plan, it is important to look at activity levels both outside and inside a structured exercise plan. So to maximize your health, try these simple activity substitutions:
1. Climb stairs rather than using elevators and escalators.
2. Take a 5 minute active break, like going to the copier or a bathroom break, every hour during sedentary work.
3. Walk to the store or to lunch rather than taking a car.
4. Rake leaves rather than use a leaf blower.
5. Shovel snow instead of using a snow blower.
Finally, remember to include 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical exercise a week. That comes down to about 30 minutes, 5 days a week.
Would you like to reduce stress and improve your bone health but don't know where to start? I provide an easy to follow program called Be Bone Strong! that helps improve your bone health, posture, balance and strength while reducing fracture risk. Contact Woody McMahon for a no cost consultation at 703-628-2880 or email woody@sequoiahealth.com.
