This is How Much You Need To Move To Offset A Day of Sitting

This is a brief summary of the article found at Inverse

The Yolk

• Move at least once every 30 minutes
• Why is sitting for a long time “bad”?
  • Blood stays down in legs – prevents proper return of blood to the heart
  • Muscles can’t help regulate glucose and fat – so they will store it
  • Shallow breathing from being stressed and hunched over
  • Higher risk for many diseases
  • Compressed discs in spine
  • This also applies to those who do exercise and then still sit all day otherwise
• What can you do?
  • Take a break and move every 30 minutes
    • Even a minute of movement
    • It doesn’t have to be “exercise” – it could be cleaning, cooking, getting water
  • Change sitting or standing positions often

Perspective

• These movement studies don’t always take into account diet – a poor diet may cause more negative consequences with sitting
• Try not to stay in one spot for too long – bodies should be changing positions and moving for healthy joints, preventing injuries, and even mental health
• Set a timer every half hour
• Check your posture if you remember to

Research & Resources

• Exercises to counteract sitting all day
• Office workers sitting all day found to have more exhaustion and dissatisfaction
• Periods of movement decreased lower back pain and stiffness
• Sitting and the heart
• Two minutes of exercise to improve health

Recommendations

• Consider using a ball for a chair to activate muscles more
• Invest in a standing desk to sit or stand as you want
• Exercise cards for ideas of what to do during movement time