Are you an active couch potato?
We are all aware that we should ‘move more and sit less’. Much of the health information that we receive promotes exercise because of the benefits it provides for both our physical and mental health. Despite this, one in three adults worldwide fails to do the recommended 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity per week.
What is not as well known is the effect of a sedentary lifestyle, in other words, ‘sitting’. Recently published research estimates that for every hour of seated television watching, about 22 minutes is cut from our lifespan. This is in contrast to a cigarette, which shortens lifespan by 11 minutes.
Being sedentary is simply not good for our metabolic health!
For many of us, life revolves around being seated watching a screen, be it television, browsing the internet, playing computer or video games or sitting doing many of our sedentary hobbies. Most of us also spend time sitting in cars or on transport. Our bodies aren’t designed to sit all day. What’s more, the research is now showing us even when we meet the recommended guidelines of 30 minutes of moderate activity per day; we aren’t doing enough to counterbalance the effects of sitting for hours on end. Recent research has labelled individuals who meet the exercise guidelines, but who then sit for long periods of time, as ‘Active Couch Potatoes’.
Regular interruptions to your ‘sedentary time’ can have vast health benefits, including reducing risk factors for developing heart disease and diabetes.
Our Physiotherapists at Platinum Physio are focused on reducing these risk factors and are therefore passionate about keeping residents active and healthy for life! We therefore provide the following recommendations from the Australian Heart Foundation to help you to break the sedentary cycle:
- Stand up to talk on the phone
- Do household chores like ironing, folding clothing or washing the dishes while watching television
- Walk around the house during commercial breaks
- While sitting at your computer, take a break and stand every 30 minutes
- Do 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity (where the rate and depth of breathing is noticeably increased, but where you can still talk comfortably) on five or more days a week
- Take a walk each day
- Use the stairs instead of the lift!
- Join one of our Pilates, Physio-supervised Gym or Pool sessions
All of our Physio-supervised classes meet the Heart Foundation guidelines, are tailored to meet your individual needs and are available six days each week.
Call us on 8554 0111 today to find out more about how we can help you to .
At Platinum Physio, we do realise that sitting is a necessary part of our daily lives. Next months feature article will cover correct sitting posture, and how to arrange your desk to limit musculoskeletal problems arising from poor posture.
