The survey involved 8,000 people between the ages of 20 and 65 who live in eight Latin American countries. Study participants spent 4 to 10 hours a day sitting. Scientists have established a correlation between weight gain and an increased risk of obesity in those who spend more time sitting and do not take stretch breaks.
“Being overweight increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes and sleep apnea syndrome. In Russia, about 35 million people have cardiovascular diseases. They contribute the most to the mortality rate. According to WHO estimates, about 80% of premature heart attacks and strokes could have been prevented by changing the quality of life, increasing the availability of treatment,” Olga Shuppo, scientific director of the Grand Clinic network of immunorehabilitation and preventive medicine clinics, told Rossiyskaya gazette.
Another contributing factor to obesity is lack of sleep. The norm is individual for each, but on average a person should sleep at least 7-8 hours, and preferably continuously.
“The good news is that, unlike sleep, a sedentary lifestyle can be balanced by individual physical activities, for example, working out 2-3 times a week in the gym,” said Olga Shuppo.
According to her, scientists recommend that the time spent sitting be divided into breaks for active load. “During such a break, you need to stretch the muscles and joints, accelerate blood circulation. The body will gradually get used to physical activity, and this will not only have a positive effect on the general metabolism, mood and well-being, but also also the ability to cope with stress,” said Dr. Schuppo.
The doctor gave you four rules, following which you can improve your fitness and lose weight.
1) Establish a moderate physical activity during the day. To do this, you need to reduce your sitting time; this can be done by changing the position of the body. A table with a variable height level will allow you to change the load on the muscles and bones during the day, working sitting and standing.
2) Take advantage of every opportunity to warm up: this can be a short walk during lunch breaks and during the work day, using the stairs instead of the elevator. Even at the workplace, if possible, you should do short but active workouts.
“Even moderate exercise in the fresh air will help oxygenate the cells and increase the vital activity of the mitochondria,” says Dr. Schuppo.
3) To improve well-being, you also need to align your sleep pattern. It is important not only to observe the duration of sleep (7-8 hours), but also to sleep at the right time – from 22 to 3 hours.
“During these hours of the night, melatonin is produced, a hormone that is responsible for the balance of cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’. If we sleep enough and at the right time, the body rests and recovers, and cells regenerate “Olga Shuppo explained.
4) The effectiveness of any training will drop dramatically if you fail to normalize nutrition. Avoid the abuse of simple carbohydrates (sugar, pastries, sweets). Its excess leads to “acidification” around the cells. “Mitochondria, energetic substances within the cell, in that environment become lazy and incapacitated. The cell ages rapidly, and where there are old cells, organs and systems begin to malfunction and various age-associated diseases develop,” the expert concluded.
