In the spirit of Halloween, we thought this week we’d share with you a piece of scary news we came across! In this recent study about the dangers of SHORT-TERM sedentary behavior, some frightening discoveries were made.
We already know long-term sedentary behavior comes with very negative consequences to our health. These include everything from increased fat mass and decreased lean mass, to potential bone density loss and high blood pressure.
However, I’m willing to bet most of us thought that short-term sedentary behavior was no big deal. That familiar cycle of starting and stopping at the gym, taking a couple months off for the holidays, that’s all fine…right? Wrong, unfortunately.
In the study, 28 healthy, active participants with an average age of 32 and a normal BMI (body mass index) were asked to slash their activity levels for just two weeks.
Prior to the study, the participants averaged around 10,000 steps each day from normal day-to-day activity. During the study, they were instructed to slash their average steps down to 1,500.
The results? After just two weeks, the participants had seen changes in multiple areas: decreased cardiorespiratory health (4% drop), increased waist circumference, increased liver fat, increased body fat, increased insulin resistance, and increased triglyceride levels. If that’s not scary…I don’t know what is!
The silver lining? After just two weeks of resuming their regular daily activity, participants recovered their previous health. Moral of the story: even short-term breaks in activity WILL impact your health. So if you have to take a break, make sure to get back to normal ASAP.
Need some help increasing your daily activity? Check out some of our corporate wellness services and bring some health into your sedentary workplace.