11/22/2015

BenefitsofStanding:ReducesRiskofObesitybyOneThird

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StandingSixHoursa
DayReducesRiskofObesityby
OneThird
November20,2015 | 167,851views
|
DisponibleenEspaol

Storyataglance
Chronicsittingactivelypromotesdozensof
chronicdiseases,includingobesityandtype2
diabetes,evenifyoureveryfitandexercise
regularly

ByDr.Mercola
Theevidenceisoverwhelmingandcrystalclear:
avoidingsittingisakeycomponentofahealth
promotinglifestyle.
AccordingtoDr.JamesLevine,codirectorofthe
MayoClinicandtheArizonaStateUniversity
ObesityInitiative,some10,000publicationshave
shownthatsittingisharmfultoyourhealth.
Hewasoneofthefirsttobringattentiontothis
controversialsubject,andevenwroteabookabout
itcalled"GetUp!:WhyYourChairIsKillingYou
andWhatYouCanDoAboutIt."
Prolongedsittingactivelypromotesdozensof
chronicdiseases,includingobesityandtype2
diabetes.Evenmoreremarkable,thisholdstrue
evenifyou'reveryfitandexerciseregularly.
It'salsoanindependentriskfactorforanearly
deathevenifyouleadanotherwisehealthy
lifestyle.
Infact,chronicsittinghasamortalityratesimilarto
smoking.1 And,thelessyouexercise,themore
pronouncedthedetrimentaleffectsofsitting
become.Researchalsoshowsthatyourriskfor
anxietyanddepressionrisesrightalongwithhours
spentinyourchair.

SittingLessIsKeyComponentof
HealthyLiving
Mostofushavebecomesoaccustomedtosittingin
chairsthatwe'vefailedtorealizethatdoingso
mightactuallybebiologicallyandphysiologically

Sittingisanindependentriskfactorforanearly
death,withamortalityratesimilartosmoking
Standingforatleastsixhoursadaymayreduce
yourriskofobesityby32to35percent
dependingonyourgender.Mencanreduce
theirriskofobesitybyasmuchas59percentby
standing12hoursaday

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StandingSixHoursaDayReducesRisk
ofObesitybyOneThird

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SittingKills,MovingHeals
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ProperPosture

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2015/11/20/standingsittingmetabolicsyndrome.aspx?e_cid=20151120Z2_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_...

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BenefitsofStanding:ReducesRiskofObesitybyOneThird

problematic.
However,ifyougiveitsomethoughtthecorrelation
maybecomemoreintuitivelyclear.

IntermittentMovementBenefitsYourHealth.
HeresHowtoGetMoreofItintoYourWork
Day

Whileearlymanmayhavesatdownonarocknowandthen,theycertainlydidnotspendthemajorityoftheir
dayssitting.Theyhadtohuntandgatherfoodonadailybasis,andsecuresheltertimeconsumingtasks
thatanymodernsurvivalistcanattestto.
Evenintoday'sdayandage,studiesshowthatpeopleinagrarianvillagessitforonlythreehoursaday.Thisis
afarcryfrommostofficeworkers,manyofwhomsitfor13to15hoursaday,andprobablymoreinlinewith
ourgeneticheritage.

StandingforOneFourthofYourDaySignificantlyReducesYourRiskof
Obesity
Wecannowaddyetanotherpapertothegrowinglistofstudiesdemonstratingthehealtheffectsofsitting
versusstanding.PublishedintheMayoClinicProceedings,thisstudy2,3 examinedtherelationshipsbetween
standingtime,obesity,andmetabolicsyndrome,alongsideandindependentofexercise.
Atotalof7,075healthyadultsofbothsexesbetweentheagesof20and79wereincluded,andtheresults
revealedthat:
Menwhostoodupforaquarterofthetime(aboutsixhours)eachdayormorehada32percentlower
riskofobesity
Menwhostoodupforabouthalfthedayhada59percentreducedlikelihoodofobesity
Inwomen,standingaquarter,half,andthreequartersofthetimeeachdaywasassociatedwitha35
percent,47percent,and57percentlowerriskofobesityrespectively

ExercisePLUSStandingDecreasesYourRiskofMetabolicSyndrome
Moreover,thosewhoregularlystoodupandmetweeklyexerciseguidelinesalsohadalowerriskofmetabolic
syndrome,comparedtothosewhoeitherdidnotmeetexerciseguidelinesand/orsatdownmostofeachday.
Amongregularexerciserstherewasacleardoseresponserelationshipbetweentheamountoftimethey
stoodupandtheirriskofobesityandmetabolicsyndrome,whichledtheauthorstoconcludethat:
"Standingaquarterofthetimeperdayormoreisassociatedwithreducedoddsofobesity.Theinverse
relationshipofstandingtoobesityandmetabolicsyndromeismorerobustwhencombinedwithhealth
promotingleisuretimephysicalactivity...
Cliniciansandpublichealthpractitionersshouldconsiderencouragingpatientstoachievethephysical
activityguidelinesandincreasestandingtimeforchronicdiseaseprevention."

SittingKills,EvenIfYouGetRegularExercise
It'sreallyimportanttorealizethatevenanhourofdailyexercisecannotundotheharmdonebysittingfor10to
15hoursperday.Thekeyreallyistostandupandkeepyourbodyinmildmotionasmuchaspossible
throughouteachday.THEN,regularexercisewillworksynergisticallytoimproveyourhealth,asnotedinthe
featuredstudywhereonlythosewhometexerciseguidelinesandstoodupforperiodsoftimeduringtheday
wereabletoreducetheirriskofmetabolicsyndrome.
Anotherstudy4 publishedearlierthisyearfoundthat,comparedtothosewhoexerciseoftenandarehardly
sedentary,thosewhorarelyexerciseandspendmanyhoursbeingsedentaryhaveanalmosteightfold
increasedriskofdyingprematurely.Soitwouldseemthatit'sthecombinationofmorevigorousboutsof
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2015/11/20/standingsittingmetabolicsyndrome.aspx?e_cid=20151120Z2_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_...

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BenefitsofStanding:ReducesRiskofObesitybyOneThird

exerciseandchronicbodilymotion(suchasshiftingposturewhilestanding)thatbringsaboutthegreatest
healthbenefits.
Asystematicreview5,6 thatlookedat47studiesofsedentarybehaviorconfirmedthatthetimeapersonspends
sittingeachdayindeedproducesdetrimentaleffectsthatoutweighthebenefitsreapedfromexercise.
Sittingwasfoundtoincreaseyourriskofdeathfromvirtuallyallhealthproblems,fromtype2diabetesand
cardiovasculardiseasetocancerandallcausemortality.Forexample,sittingformorethaneighthoursaday
wasassociatedwitha90percentincreasedriskoftype2diabetes.
Otherresearch7 hasfoundthatthosewhositthemosthavea112percentincreasedrelativeriskofdiabetes,
anda147percentincreasedrelativeriskofcardiovasculareventscomparedtothosewhosittheleast.All
causemortalityisalsoincreasedby50percent.
Tocounteracttheilleffectsofprolongedsitting,researcherssuggestyou:8
Keeptrackofhowmuchyou'resittingeachday,andmakeanefforttoreduceit,littlebylittle,eachweek
Useastandingdeskatwork
WhenwatchingTV,standupand/orwalkaroundduringcommercialbreaks

WhyStandingPromotesPhysicalHealth
Are You Sitting Too Much?

Researchershave,toagreatextent,beenabletodeterminewhysittingissodetrimental,andhowstanding
promoteshealth.Whenyou'vebeensittingforaperiodoftimeandthenstandup,anumberofbeneficial
molecularcascadestakeplaceinsideyourbody.Forexample,within90secondsofstandingup,themuscular
andcellularsystemsthatprocessbloodsugar,triglycerides,andcholesterolwhicharemediatedbyinsulin
areactivated.
Surprisingasitmaysound,allofthesemoleculareffectsareactivatedsimplybycarryingyourownbody
weight.Thesecellularmechanismsarealsoresponsibleforpushingfuelsintoyourcellsand,ifdoneregularly,
willradicallydecreaseyourriskofdiabetesandobesity.Whatthistellsusisthat,atthemolecularlevel,the
humanbodywasdesignedtobeactiveandonthemovealldaylong.Whenyoustopmovingforextended
periodsoftime,yourbodybeginstoshutdown,asifpreparingfordeath.
Inshort,whileweclearlyneedtorestfromtimetotime,restissupposedtobreakupactivitynottheotherway
around.Whenyoumakeinactivityawayoflife,thefundamentalfuelingsystemsinyourbodyareswitchedoff,
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BenefitsofStanding:ReducesRiskofObesitybyOneThird

andyourbloodsugarlevels,bloodpressure,cholesterol,andtoxicbuildupallrise.
Chronicsittingcanalsobeasignificantfactorinback,neck,andsciaticpain.Itoosufferedfrombackpainfor
manyyears,andnoneofthetreatmentsItriedmadeanysignificantdifferenceuntilIbegantorestrictmy
sittingtolessthananhourperday.Thenthepainsuddenlydisappeared!

StandUpDesksAreaGreatSolutionforOfficeWorkers
Dr. Mercola Shows His Standing Desk

1:30 / 8:49

Sincemostofuslivelivesthatrevolvearoundanofficechair,acar/bus/trainseat,andthecouch,mostwill
needtofigureouthowtoeliminatealargenumberofhoursofsittingeveryday.Onesolutionistousea
standingdeskatwork.I'msoconvincedofthehealthbenefitsofstandingI'veequippedallmembersofmy
officestaffwithastandingdeskoption.Thereareanumberofdifferentstylesavailable.Onsome,youcan
elevateandlowertheentiredesksurface.Therearealsosmallerunitsthatfitontopofyourexistingdesk.
IusetosufferfromchroniclowbackpainuntilIrealizeditwasmy12ormorehoursadayofsittingthatwas
causingit.SinceIminimizedsitting,Ihavenothadanybackpainforoverayearnow.Itypicallysitlessthan30
minutesadayunlessIamtravelling.Ialsoseektomoveawayfrommydeskatleastonceanhour.
Thismuchstandingcanbeaproblemforsomepeoplebutiftheywalkforonetotwohoursaday,thatcould
radicallyimprovetolerancetothismuchstandingasthelymphaticpumpstimulatedbythatmuchwalkingwill
keepthelegmusclesandbloodvesselshealthy.
IalsostandbarefootonainchfoamgroundingmatwhileIwork.Inadditiontothecushioningitprovides,a
groundingmathelpsyoustaygroundedtotheeartheventhoughyou'reindoors,andthistoocanhelprelieve
chronicpain,reduceinflammation,thinyourblood,andenhanceyourgeneralsenseofwellbeing.
Manypeoplefeelbetternearlyimmediatelywhentheyswapsittingforstandingandregularmovement.Asone
workerwhousesanadjustableheightworkdesktoldTimemagazine:9
"Idefinitelyfeelhealthierstandingwhileworkingasitcausesmetobemorefocusedonmypostureand
'hold'myselfbetterintermsofmystomachandshouldersespecially."

MindYourPostureWhenStanding
Whenyoustand,itisindeedimportanttoconsideryourposture.Inthevideoabove,Idemonstratethestanding
posturetaughtbyKathleenPorter,authorof"NaturalPostureforPainFreeLiving".Theterms"happydog"and
"saddog"posture,whichImentioninthevideo,cameaboutfromKathleen'sworkwithchildrenwhoareeasily
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embarrassedoramusedbywordslike"pelvis"or"pubicbone."Inhumanterms,whenyou"tuckyourtail,"i.e.
tuckyourpelvisforward,yourspinecollapsesdownintoyourpelvis.
Thisstancealsotendstotriggerthereactiontopullyourchestupandyourshouldersback,whichcloses,
narrows,andshortensyourback.Thisunnaturalposturecanleadtopaininanumberofdifferentareasand
shouldbeavoided.Instead,whatyou'reaimingforistohaveyourfrontandbackequallywideandequally
extended,anditallbeginswiththepositionofyourpelvis.Ifyourotateyourpelvistowardtheback,soyour
pubicboneisdownandyoursitbonesarewideandbehindyou,it'ssortoflikeyou'rewaggingyourtail.Thisis
the"happydog"postureahealthynaturalposturewhereyourbonesareinproperalignment.

ForaHealthierLife,SitLess
Theevidenceisoverwhelmingatthispoint10,000studiesandgrowingthatprolongedsittingwillreduce
yourlifespanbypromotingdozensofchronicdiseases.Asageneralrule,ifyou'vebeensittingforanhour,
you'vesattoolong.Atbareminimum,avoidsittingformorethan50minutesoutofeveryhour.Ideallythough,I
recommendstandingupasmuchaspossible.
WhenIfirstlearnedaboutthis,Irapidlycutmysittingdowntoanhouraday,andnowI'mdowntoabouthalfan
houraday.Usingastandingdeskispartofthesolution,buttherearecountlesswaysofgettingmorestanding
andwalkingintoyourlife.Youcanholdwalkingmeetingsforexample.Standorwalkwheneveryou'reon
thephone,andforgosittingifyoucommutetoworkbybusortrain.Asmentionedearlier,peoplelivingin
agrariancommunitiessitanaverageofjustthreehoursaday,whichwouldbeanadmirablegoal.
Ialsorecommendchallengingyourselftowalk7,000to10,000stepsperday,overandaboveyourregular
fitnessprogram.Considergettingafitnesstrackerthatcanmonitorboththenumberofstepsyoutakeandthe
numberofhoursyousleep,asoptimizingthesefactorscanhaveaprofoundlybeneficialimpactonyourlife,
andit'sdifficulttomodifyyourbehaviorifyou'renotmonitoringit.
Ibelievethiscombinationofexercise,nonexerciseactivitieslikewalking10,000stepsaday,alongwith
avoidingsittingwheneverpossibleisthekeytobeingreallyfit,andenjoyingalongandpainfreelife.It'squite
clearthatmostofusaretoosedentaryonanhourbyhourbasis.Theanswerissimple,butitdoesrequirea
changeinhowwelive.Thegoodnewsisthattherequiredchangesarewithinyourowncontrol.
SoIstronglyencourageyoutostartthinkingabouthowyoucangetmorephysicalmovementintoyourlife,
everywakinghourofeveryday.Yourbodywillloveyoufortheinvestmentandrewardyouwithmanyyearsof
painfreemovementinyourlateryears.

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