31 days.. day 4

Day 4: Move more outside the gym

So this is an interesting concept when it's 8 degrees out. The only moving outside I'm doing today is a quick dash between the house and the car. But of course the article is more about moving generally. We are among one of the most sedentary cultures around. We sit for our jobs, we sit when we eat, we sit when we watch TV or read. It's no wonder we are in the physical shape we're in.

There is so much research that advocates for more time on our feet. Not only for calorie burn, but for spinal alignment, bone density, circulation and blood sugar management. Any google search will reveal a bunch of articles and opinions about this topic, mainly from manufacturers of things like this:

But let's go to a reputable source, the Mayo Clinic. Here is a great summary of the harmful effects of sitting too much. What I find most fascinating is the fact that sitting not only contributed to obesity and metabolic syndrome, but it's effects were independent of other risk factors, like smoking. This means in theory that a smoker who stands regularly for his job could be as healthy as a non-smoker who sits all day for his. Huh.

This is one of the reasons I always love working in a hospital - you are on your feet all day. You're climbing stairs between floors, squatting and kneeling to help your patients, you even often stand at a wall-mounted computer to do your notes. My upcoming switch to home health will be a change for sure. I'll just have to work a little harder to incorporate other ways of moving into my day.