Stand Up For Health and Weight Loss

A new research study from the European Heart Journal and performed in Australia has found that the length of time people sit and the number of times they take breaks are strong indicators of their overall health, such as ability to lose weight, heart disease and diabetes risk, and that even breaks as short as one minute can dramatically change the situation. The researchers combined data from well over 4,000 individuals from the United States that were over 20 years of age and had worn a small electronic device called an accelerometer that monitored on an ongoing basis the amount and the intensity of physical activity and sedentary time they had each day. By programming into the software the “signature” of brief breaks from a sitting position, the researchers were able to distinguish short breaks from a sitting position from longer true exercise sessions. The results showed that even small changes could help tremendously with improving weight loss, heart health, and other metabolic issues. According to the researchers taking phone calls standing, or small tasks such as centralized trash cans or printers, can be all that is needed to make a difference. The research, Darcy Thompson PhD says, is the new era of research classically termed “work physiology.” Borne from the era of the industrial revolution when companies wanted to know what the optimal amount of physical labor was for a given individual, or how long work shifts should be. Today we have exactly the opposite problem; that is how little activity is needed to keep us healthy. This is some of the first work to show that our current work environment may only need to have small tweaks and changes for a dramatic improvement in our overall lifestyle and health. The results are there, says Dr. Thompson, even people who have jobs that require a long time sitting down, the more short breaks they take the smaller their waists were and the less likely they were to have high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. All very powerful reasons to make a health friendly workplace. To learn more about subjects like this and to start changing your body, please visit us at New Lifestyle Diet

Hamilton Erridge is a weight loss professional. New Lifestyle Diet helps people lose weight and stay healthy by providing information and resources that help people make a lifestyle change so that the extra pounds shed are never put back on.