Natural Awakenings

fitbody
14
STAND UP
AND MOVE!
How to Sizzle, not Fizzle
As millions of
Americans
ponder
quitting newly
launched fitness
resolutions after
finding it tough to
squeeze in toning
workouts or sweat
off a few extra
pounds, researchers
implore: Don’t
give up. Just pump
out 20 minutes a
day of any kind of
exercise—take a
brisk walk, jog, lift
weights—and stop
sitting so much.
Results can bring
a healthier, more
youthful feeling of well-being, akin
to what explorer Juan Ponce de León
sought in the Americas long ago.
In a recently completed study
published in the Archives of Internal
Medicine, researchers followed up with
more than 18,000 middle-aged men and
women that had been tested an average
of 26 years earlier for cardiorespiratory
fitness via a treadmill test. They compared
those results with the individuals’
current Medicare data at the Cooper
Institute Clinic, in Dallas, Texas
“We found those who were fitter
had a much lower rate of heart failure,
chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer’s,
diabetes, certain kinds of colon cancer
and coronary artery disease,” says coauthor
Dr. Benjamin Willis. “Fit people
that did become ill did so at a much
later age than their non-fit counterparts.
by debra melani
Central New York AwakeningsCNY.com
They were able to
enjoy a healthier
life longer.”
Researchers
found that
for every higher
MET fitness level
(standard metabolic
equivalent,
a unit for measuring
fitness related
to the amount of
oxygen used by
the body during
physical activity),
the risk of chronic
disease decreased
by about 6 percent.
“So those
that can raise their
fitness levels by
three METs have an estimated 18 to 20
percent reduced risk of developing a
chronic disease,” Willis explains.
The take-away message is, “Just
move,” says study co-author Dr. Laura
DeFina. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) recommends investing
in a weekly total of 150 to 300
minutes of moderate exercise or 75 to
150 minutes of vigorous exercise, either
of which can be broken down into two
or three 10-minute increments a day,
DeFina confirms.
As simple as it sounds, few people
are doing it, something New York Times
fitness columnist Gretchen Reynolds
underscores in her recent book, The
First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science
Reveals How We Can: Exercise Better,
Train Smarter, Live Longer. “Most of
us sit an average of eight hours a day,
whether it’s at a desk or in front of a
television,” Reynolds says. “The human
body was not meant to be sedentary.”
More than three-quarters of Americans
are not meeting exercise recommendations,
with one-quarter remaining
completely sedentary, the CDC reports.
Breaking this cycle does not need to
be difficult, Reynolds notes. “You get
the benefits from just moving. Start by
standing up more and moving around
in your office.”
Reynolds, who hops on one foot
while brushing her teeth and reads
standing up using a music stand, says
studies have shown that bad things
happen to bodies that sit for long
stints, even those that start each day
with an hour of exercise, and good
things happen to bodies that stand
often, even if it’s just for two minutes
every half-hour. “For instance, when
you stand, the big muscles in your legs
and back contract, releasing enzymes
that stabilize blood sugar,” Reynolds
says, echoing findings of a study of
more than 120,000 men and women
published in the American Journal of
Epidemiology. The researchers found
that the combination of both sitting
more and being less physically active
was associated with a significant
increase in accelerated death rate,
particularly in women, at 94 percent,
as well as men, at 48 percent.
As Reynolds’ book title suggests,
the majority of health benefits are
derived from the first 20 minutes of
exercise and begin to flatten out after
30 minutes or so. Dr. Carl Lavie, medical
director of cardiac rehabilitation
and prevention at the Ochsner Medical
Center, in New Orleans, points out
that this timeframe supports general
health. He and Reynolds agree that to
reach specific goals, such as increased
running speed or dramatic weight loss,
moderate levels won’t do the trick, so
do more, if possible.
The most vital message, experts
agree, is to do something every day,
consistently. Willis observes that, “The
effects can quickly reverse if you stop.”
Freelance journalist Debra Melani
writes about health care and fitness
from Lyons, CO. Connect at Debra
Melani.com or DMelani@msn.com.