Desk job got you down? Literally?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Long workdays spent sitting at a desk are bad for our health. Sitting reduces blood flow, which can increase our blood pressure and risk of heart disease. What can we do?
How about a little WALK up music for Andrea Duran and team from Columbia University?
They did a walking versus sitting study with eleven adults over the age of forty-five. For five eight-hour trials, participants stayed seated or took breaks every thirty OR sixty minutes. For breaks, they walked for ONE or FIVE minutes. Their blood sugar and blood pressure were tracked throughout the experiment.
Results? ALL walking breaks improved blood pressure… But blood sugar significantly decreased when participants took five minute walks every thirty minutes!
The researchers believe taking short breaks from sitting can positively impact our health!
So get up! Go for a run!! Leave those spreadsheets behind! Do come back eventually.
Reference:
Duran, A. T., Friel, C. P., Serafini, M. A., Ensari, I., Cheung, Y. K., & Diaz, K. M. (n.d.). Breaking Up Prolonged Sitting to Improve Cardiometabolic Risk: Dose-Response Analysis of a Randomized Cross-Over Trial. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003109. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003109