November 4, 2015
According to the latest research led by the America Cancer Society,
standing for at least 25 percent of the day can lower someone’s odds of
facing obesity. But the statistics differed among the sexes.
The
study, which consisted of more than 7,000 adults in the Dallas, Texas,
area during a five-year period, found that men who stood a quarter of
the time were linked to a 32 percent reduced likelihood of obesity (in
terms of body fat percentage). Males who stood for half the day
decreased their chances by 59 percent. However, standing for more than
three-quarters of the time was not associated with a lower risk of
obesity.
As
for the ladies, standing for a quarter of the day was shown to reduce
the likelihood of abdominal obesity (waist circumference) by 35 percent.
Standing for half the day away reduced their risk by 47 percent, and
there was a 57 percent reduction linked to standing for three-quarters
of the time.
However,
there was no relationship between standing and metabolic syndrome
(various risk factors that increase the risk for heart disease, stroke,
and diabetes) found among women or men.
The
investigators also discovered that the adults who met the physical
activity guidelines (150 minutes of moderate activity and/or 75 minutes
of vigorous activity per day) reduced their risk even more. For example,
men who hit these workout numbers and who stood for a quarter of the
day reduced their likelihood of facing abdominal obesity by 57 percent.
“Many
of us have sedentary jobs and commute long hours, so the idea is to try
do more things that would be feasible with our lifestyle,” lead study
author Dr. Kerem Shuval,
director of physical activity and nutrition research at the American
Cancer Society, tells Yahoo Health. “Over the years, our activity levels
have declined significantly. Not the leisure time activities, but
activities that are connected to work and home.”
He
says that many people today are investing in standing desk, treadmill
desks, and adjustable desks, “which can give you activity during the day
while typing.” But if those options aren’t realistic, Shuval suggests
letting your legs do the walking instead of your fingers. “Get up and
talk to a colleague instead of emailing or texting them,” he says.
Also,
don’t use the boardroom as often. “A lot of us in our office now have
walking meetings — we walk and talk about our work instead of sitting
around a table,” he says. “We have walking discussions. In the movie
about Steve Jobs with Ashton Kutcher, we saw that he had a lot of his
meetings while walking.”
During
the after-office hours, Shuval recommends finding creative ways to
multitask. “For example, I can’t exercise after work because I have
kids,” he explains. “Many parents, like myself, bring their kids to
different activities, but most of them then sit down and use their cell
phones. So I go out for a quick jog while my kids are busy with their
activities.”
As for the TV lovers and binge-watchers, he suggests standing while viewing, “and to be conscious about it.”
“In
general, the goal is to find any reason to get off your chair more
often,” he concludes. “The idea is to think about more activities that
can be built in during your day.”
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