The 2 Minute Lifesaver

Working where I work I have a plethora of magazines to dive into, but I found this really interesting article in Good Housekeeping- April 2012.  The article was 'The 2-Minute Lifesaver' and the answer was to basically MOVE.  It is the simple act of moving that can ward off heart disease, diabetes, even cancer AND without any special training, gear, or extra time. Walking away from your chair every half hour while you're at work or at home while watching tv might just save your life. Of course you have to take everything with a grain of salt, but a recently discovered health threat- uninterrupted butt in chair time- boosts your odds of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease to a pretty substantial degree. In one study conducted by the American Cancer Society, women who were sedimentary for six plus hours every day, regardless of how active they were at other times during the day, had a 34% higher chance of dying during the 11 year study period then those who stayed seated for less then three hours. WHOA! That's a pretty big deal. There is a weight loss component to this whole 'getting up and moving' thing as well.  Those who took small, as in walking to the copier or taking bathroom breaks, multiple times during the day were in fact slimmer.  The act of standing and walking contracts the larger muscles to take in fat and sugar from your bloodstream, therefore forcing your whole body to get going.

Men's Health caught onto this phenomenon really quick and at least half of the desks in their work space are mounted so those people have to stand to do their daily work load on computers.  It is very neat, and here is the article including picture.

Here is how to build mini breaks into your day:
(@ work)
A. Stand up to use the phone. Your body works 30% harder when you are on your feet. Pacing is even better.
2d. Get rid of the water bottle on your desk and just walk to the cooler to fill a small glass.

(@ home)
F. Turn off the TV. This causes to you to mount that booty on the couch and become stationary which is the anti to what your body needs.
6. Watch and walk- use the commercials as a break time and get up and go get water, switch out the laundry, go downstairs, etc. etc. You get the idea.
8a. Grab a broom and use your movement breaks to sweep the floor or dust the windowsills. Your house will never be cleaner, and your heart will thank you.
H. You might as well just throw in flossing too because that is also great for your heart, and I love a good flossing.

I have been sitting too long writing this blog edition 2.0, so now I must go move these legs.  Hut Hut HIKE!!!

Until next time, Flanagan out!