I don't think there's much doubt that we have become an increasingly sedentary society. We spend a lot of time sitting – on our computers and tablets, in our cars, watching TV/Netflix/YouTube, at desks, on video calls – and it has got worse since the Covid pandemic hit because a lot of us are confined to home. The NHS estimates that many people spend 7+ hours a day sitting or lying down and that this increases to more than 10 hours a day as we get older; it is thought that this sedentary lifestyle contributes to increased rates of heart disease, obesity, T2 diabetes, cancer, high cholesterol, reduced fat-loss and weight gain. Prolonged sitting can also cause neck stiffness and pain, back problems, loss of abdominal muscle and poor posture.
Simply put, the human body is just not designed to be seated for long periods; our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have been mobile for much of the time and they didn't have chairs either – they would have sat or more likely squatted on the ground (more of this anon). They also didn't go to gyms (I don't think gym membership had been invented then), or 'do exercise', nor did they constantly track their activity with Fitbits or other devices – hunter-gatherer communities just spend more of their time moving and this can be a valuable lesson for us, especially those of us who feel put off by gyms, exercise classes and 'organised' exercise.
Another interesting phenomenon is what's called the 'active couch potato' or 'weekend warrior' – that is, people who sit all day at work then do an hour or so of vigorous exercise once a day or are active just at weekends; this apparently is not much better than not exercising at all*.
So this week's blog is looking at ways we can get more movement into our days without feeling the pressure of having to go to a gym or exercise class, especially in these ongoing lockdown days.
Walking
Yes, I've said it before – walking is one of the best exercises you can do; it works your heart, lungs and your muscles; it gets you out into the fresh air and sunlight; it's easy to do; you don't need any special clothing or equipment; you don't need to book in advance or have someone tell you what to do – you just put your shoes on (or not, if you're going barefoot) and off you go. I love walking – I find it a good way to clear my head and I also find I'm more creative when I walk – somehow the movement loosens all those stagnated ideas and I come back more energised. My friend and I often walk by the sea (a bonus if you can do it); we talk and listen to the waves; sometimes we stop for coffee en route, but we always come back refreshed and ready to tackle any challenges that might be looming.
Now here is something that might interest you – I'm sure you have heard of the '10,000 steps a day' recommendation and I'm also sure that many of us find it extremely difficult to hit this magic number every day – it is after all about 4-5 miles, depending on the length of your stride. When our pedometer or Fitbit tells us we've only managed 8000 (or even less) it can leave us feeling inadequate - we simply can't find the time or energy to get in those last few thousand steps and we feel that we must have failed somewhere. I remember in the days when I was teaching and I was quite literally on my feet pretty much all day, but I didn't ever hit the 10,000 steps, so I would come home and think 'I just can't do xxxx thousand more steps', and I'm absolutely sure many people feel the same way. So here's the good (and maybe surprising) news -
The 10,000 steps recommendation was a marketing ploy made up to sell an early pedometer in 1964
Yes, you got it – everyone, including health professionals and trainers have been repeating the lauded 10,000 steps for so long that it has become a 'truth' – the same as 'saturated fat gives you heart disease' is often repeated – but it isn't true! I don't think anyone, especially me, would argue that the more you can move about and walk the better for your health, but there is nothing magical about 10,000 steps and if not being able to achieve that number makes you feel inadequate and fed up, then it's not doing you any good at all.
In 2018, Dr Michael Mosley** did a small experiment with a group of volunteers; they were split into two teams – one team were asked to do the 'recommended' 10,000 steps each day and were given pedometers to monitor their progress; the other group were asked to do 'Active 10' – that is 3 sessions of 10 minutes brisk walking every day which adds up to about 3000 steps; the proviso being that the 10 minutes had to be brisk – fast enough so that volunteers could talk but not sing.
At the end of the experiment, the 10,000 steps group all said they had really struggled to complete the challenge whereas the Active 10 group found their challenge relatively easy – fitting in 3 short brisk walks each day was manageable and enjoyable. What was even more surprising was that the Active 10 group actually did more 'moderate to vigorous' exercise than the 10,000 steppers which is where the health benefits really start to kick in.
So if like many people you find 10,000 steps unmanageable, (I would still say that moving around as much as possible is ideal) try Active 10. I think this is particularly useful if you have a sedentary job – three good 10 minute brisk walks will definitely help you combat the active couch potato syndrome.
It also needs to be said that walking can help reduce depression and anxiety, both of which have increased during these challenging times. So going out for a walk can not only improve your physical health, it can help with your mental health as well:
Move around regularly
I know how easy it is to get absorbed in a piece of work and realise I've been sitting still at the computer for a couple of hours, in fact it's pretty much accepted that this is how many of us spend our days unless we have a physical job, but it's not doing our health any good. It's really important to take regular short breaks for your body and, if you're using a computer or screen, your eyes too. These don't need to be long breaks, just a couple of minutes to stretch out and give your eyes a rest. I set a timer on my phone to remind me every 30 minutes, then I get up, maybe walk into the kitchen, get a drink of water or look out of the window literally for 2-3 minutes, then back to work. This is all you need to do to combat the effects of prolonged sitting. But also make sure you get proper breaks during the day as well – possibly harder when you're working from home – but take a break in the middle of the day to maybe get something to eat, walk outside, get some fresh air etc. so that you're properly refreshed when you go back to work. You could incorporate an Active 10 here too.
If you're really keen, you could get a stand-up desk, or improvise with your computer raised so you can work at it standing up; this takes some getting used to so go at it gently and sit down when you need to.
Move as often as you can
It's very easy to simply crash after a day's work or activity but try to take opportunities to move little and often. If you're watching TV, use advert breaks or the time between programmes to get up and move about or continue to set a timer to remind yourself to move – again, it only needs to be a few minutes. If you can fit in another Active 10 after dinner, you will be helping your body to digest food, reduce the effects on blood sugar and reduce fat going into storage.***
Other simple ways to get more movement into your day are:
Take the stairs instead of the lift whenever you can
If a journey is less than a mile, walk instead of taking the car
Park further away from your work place, shops or other destination and walk the extra distance
If you use public transport, get off at an earlier stop and walk the rest of the way
Stand while you're on the phone – apparently this makes you sound more confident too!
Put your favourite song on and dance to it!
The importance of strength training (in micro-workouts)
From about the age of 30 we begin to lose muscle mass by about 1% per year, and that accelerates after the age of 40. This is important because many of the falls and injuries seen in older people are as a result of loss of muscle and strength but we have to deliberately work at maintaining muscle mass or it will gradually disappear.
One of the simplest ways to do strength training is to use what Mark Sisson calls PEMs or Primal Essential Movements. PEMs are basic movements using your own body weight – squats, push-ups, pull-ups and the plank; they're simple to do and can be adapted to your own ability and strength. Follow the links below for some advice on progressing with these movements:
I can do 2 sets of these in about 25 minutes, but even small bursts (micro-workouts) can have a big impact, so for example:
Do some squats while you wait for the kettle to boil
Do some press-ups during TV breaks
Put on a favourite (short) song and do as many movements as you can while it plays
See how many of each PEM you can do for 20 seconds, have a 20 second break and repeat
Do squats while you're on the phone or during a rest break from the computer
Do a couple of planks just before getting into bed
For a link to Mark Sisson's 21 days of micro workouts, follow this link:
Squat instead of sitting
As I mentioned in the introduction, for our hunter-gatherer ancestors, and indeed, modern day hunter-gatherers, chairs are just not part of their lifestyle. The most natural way for the human body to sit is in a squatting or kneeling position. Squatting stretches out back muscles, helps extend hips and places gentle work on the legs and thighs. Because the back is held straight, you're less likely to just collapse the spine as we do when we sit in chairs.
It's important not to force this one though as it's a position we have need to re-teach our bodies – lower yourself down, feet hip-width apart, aiming to get the buttocks low between the lower legs. You should feel a good stretch through the back and legs and this can be very pleasant if you've been sitting at a desk all day. Only go as far as is comfortable and only stay for a few moments initially. You may find that gradually you can squat for longer and it actually becomes a very comfortable way to sit.
Hopefully I have given you some ideas on how to combat couch-potato or even 'active couch-potato' syndrome; each of these suggestions only takes a tiny amount of time compared with a gym session or an exercise class – they're all easy, free and you can get them into even a busy day.
Give them a try and let me know in the comments how you get on.
If you would like to know more about living Primally or would like to discuss how I can help you reach your health and well-being goals, contact me here for a free, no-obligation Discovery Call
References:
Comments