Elements Natural Medicine

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Sitting all day? Here’s a new hack.

👣 If you only have one health goal, make it this 👣

Sitting for long periods of time is dangerous for your health, yet we all do it 😫But here’s a fun tip based on a solid research study:

⏰ Strolling around for 5 minutes every half hour can offset some of the most harmful effects of prolonged sitting. 

The study was done at Columbia University and looked at 5 possible scenarios: 

🔸 1 minute of walking every 30 minutes

🔸 1 minute every 60 minutes

🔸 5 minutes every 30

🔸 5 minutes every 60

🔸 No walking at all

The optimal results came out of walking for 5 minutes after every 30 minutes of sitting. That amount:

⬇️ Reduced blood pressure by 4-5 mm Hg compared to sitting all day

⬇️ Reduced blood sugar spikes after meals by 58% compared to sitting all day

Don’t you LOVE when tiny efforts can add up to such a big impact? 

So here’s your challenge: set a timer for 30 minutes every time you sit down at your desk. Then take a 5-minute stroll. 

I bet it will be good for you brain and productivity too 🧠


Reference

Duran A, Friel C, Serafini M, et al. Breaking Up Prolonged Sitting to Improve Cardiometabolic Risk: Dose-Response Analysis of a Randomized Cross-Over Trial. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2023. [link]