Our genetic ancestry was designed to move. “The biological need to walk is as much a part of your DNA as having an opposable thumb on each hand. Human beings literally evolved to walk.”[i] Across history we have foraged, hunted, run in order to not be eaten, fished, herded, farmed and now…we sit. In the past fifty years–a blink-of-the-eye in genetic time–we have gotten so good at time- and labor-saving activities that we have literally started running the world not from our feet, as nature intended, but from our butts.
Sitting used to be the way we took a break: “take a load off.” Now it is the most common way most of us spend our day. How do you get to work? Nine-eight percent of Americans drive or sit on a bus, train, or subway car. If you work in an office, the rest of your day is likely spent chairbound–at a desk, in endless meetings, or having lunch. What do you do after work? Sit at a computer to pay bills, shop online, check email, play a game or catch up on social sites? And after that…dinner, your favorite TV show or a book? Did you ever stop to count how many hours a day you spend sitting? Have you ever considered what happens to your heart, muscles, and metabolism when you sit essentially immobile for more than 80% of your waking hours?
Too much sitting is hazardous to your health, even if you get your recommended 30 minutes per day of moderate intensity exercise. It has been shown that sitting results in:
- Dramatic drops in lipoprotein lipase (which captures fat from blood for fuel);
- Soaring levels of triglycerides (a type of fat in your blood); and
- Decreases in the good (inflammation reducing) cholesterol HDL-C.
- Increased risk for cardiovascular disease.[ii],[iii]
So…you may not be over-eating, but if you are over-sitting, your body is still creating more fat, keeping it from being broken down and decreasing the cholesterol that helps you prevent inflammation. Yikes!
In Move a Little, Lose a Lot, Dr. James Levine states that “Diet and exercise don’t work because they are unnatural.” He further explains that “Human beings are hardwired to eat to nourish ourselves, not to systematically deprive ourselves of sustenance. That’s why you can never stay on a diet, and why you regain weight the moment you go off.” Now, to be clear, he is talking about how deprivation diets don’t work, not a plan of lifelong healthy eating. And…while human beings may be hardwired to nourish ourselves, I do believe that we have overconsumed substances such as sugar, that have systematically caused us to become addicted to…more sugar. Those sugar calories fill us up and prevent us from consuming what would have “sustained us” and nourished our cells.
After spending 20+ years in the fitness industry, I can tell you that there are plenty of people that frequent the gym or run regularly that are overweight or unhealthy. So, as my mom would say, “why bother?” Dr. Katzmarzyk found that people who went to the gym or ran, still spent the rest of their day (even as much as 80%) sitting. So, they were not immune to the ravages of “the sitting disease.” While there is proven benefit in weight lifting (maintained muscle mass and bone strength) and cardiovascular exercise (decreases risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, improves mood, boosts energy), these benefits are diminished when an individual spends the rest of their day sitting.
Dr. Levine has been researching non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). He rationalized that our ancestors didn’t set out to go exercising every day; it was a part of their normal daily activities, as so it should be in ours. In one of his studies, of 20 self-proclaimed ‘couch potatoes,’ Dr. Levine found:
- Sleep time and diet were very similar
- Lean couch potatoes were MOVING 150 minutes more every single day
- Obese couch potatoes were sitting 2.5x more every single day
- On average, lean individuals expend additional 352 kcal/day; over course of a year, this is equivalent to about 16 kg (7.2 lbs)[iv]
So…what does that look like in our lives? Well, it could be anything, really: standing, leisure walking, toe-tapping, shopping, occupational moving, and more. Think about how you can restructure your time at work and at home to include more movement. Here are some ideas to inspire your own thoughts:
Suggestions for NEAT at Work:
- Stand up and walk around the office every 30 minutes (set a timer!)
- Stand up and move every time the client needs to get some water
- Walk to the farthest bathroom in the worksite facility
- Take a walk break with every coffee/tea break
- Hold “standing” or “walking” meetings
- Take all phone calls standing up or walking
Suggestions for NEAT at Home:
- Get up and move during every commercial (or stop the TV every 15-20 minutes if you pre-record and eliminate commercials!)
- Stand up and move for the opening segment of each TV show
- At the end of reading 4, 6 or 8 pages, get up and walk around the room or house
- Get a dog — walk him/her several times daily
Ideas for moving from letsmove.gov:
- Walk (or ride your bike) to work
- Walk during your lunch hour
- Walk (or ride your bike) instead of drive whenever you can
- Take a family walk after dinner
- Mow the lawn ith a push mower
- Replace Sunday drive with a Sunday walk
- Park safely in the back of the parking lot
- Work and walk around the house
- Wash the car by hand
- Run or walk fast when doing errands
- Pace the sidelines at your kid’s games
- Walk the airport while awaiting your flight
- Walk to a coworkers desk instead of emailing or calling
- Dance to music
- Walk briskly in the mall
- Take the stairs instead of the escalator
- Go for a hike
Some people may say they are too tired to do “more” when they get home from a long day. Throughout Dr. Levine’s research, he has repeatedly heard from patients that by increasing their NEAT, they gained more energy. So…NEAT did not deplete their already low stores of energy, it paid a dividend! Invest in your health today by exploring ways that you can fill your life with more NEAT. Please come back and tell us what ideas you have come up with and tried!!
[i] Levine, James. Move a Little, Lose a Lot. Three Rivers Press, 2009.
[ii] Katzmarzyk, P.T. et al. (2009). Sitting time and mortality from all cuases, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(5) 998-1005.
[iii] Hamilton, Mark, et al. Too Little Exercise and Too Much Sitting: Inactivity Physiology and the Need for New Recommendations on Sedentary Behavior, Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports (2008), 2,292-298.
[iv] Levine, J.A. et al. (2005). Interindividual variation in posture allocation: Possible role in human obesity. Science. Vol 307: 584-586.
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