- Sitting down can wipe out benefits of exercise session for your heart
- Getting up and moving around can stop your fitness levels from dropping
- Study suggests sitting may be bad for the heart even for those who exercise
- Advice is to shift positions frequently, fidget when you make a phonecall
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Fidgeting could help ward off heart disease, medical researchers have said.
Sitting down for long periods can wipe out the benefits of an exercise session for your heart, a study by cardiologists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre found.Â
Desk-bound employees who squeeze in a gym session in their lunch breaks
may be doing no more than simply cancelling out the effects of their
morning at a computer, it suggests.
Stretch your legs: Sitting down for long periods can wipe out the benefits of an exercise session for your heart, a study by cardiologists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre found
But getting up and moving around can stop your fitness levels from dropping – and keep your heart healthy.
Lead researcher Dr Jarett Berry said: ‘Avoiding sedentary behaviour throughout the day may represent an important companion strategy to improve fitness and health, outside of regular exercise activity.’
The study looked at 2,223 men and women with no known history of heart disease, asthma or strokes and measured their fitness and sedentary behaviour.
It found sitting down for two hours can be just as harmful as 20 minutes of exercise is beneficial.
Spending long periods sitting down has always been associated with
raising the risk of heart disease but it has assumed that exercise can
help eliminate this risk.
But this study suggests too long in a chair
or sofa may be bad for the heart even for those who do exercise,
according Dr Berry.
Don’t sit still: Shift positions frequently, advises Dr Jacquelyn Kulinski, get up and stretch in the middle of a thought, pace while on a phone call, or even fidget
Dr Jacquelyn Kulinski said: ‘When sitting for prolonged periods, any movement is good movement.
‘So shift positions frequently, get up and stretch in the middle of a thought, pace while on a phone call, or even fidget.’
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The comments below have not been moderated.
Bert Dock,
Liverpool,
30 minutes ago
Invest in a flea ridden cat in your home. You will always be on the move. And with a bit of effort you might even form a flea circus to keep you entertained.
TheRightStuff,
London, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
Fidgeting as in nervous energy, DM? In the long run that is not necessarily a good thing to have.
British Observer,
Amsterdam, Netherlands,
2 hours ago
There’s only one thing for it. We’ll have to remove all the chairs and sofas from our house right away.
Sulla,
Banff, United Kingdom,
2 hours ago
Where do you find this endless supply of drivel??
Veronica Essex,
London, United Kingdom,
2 hours ago
Yes I am always up and about but I have varicose veins getting bigger on my left calf now resorting to support stockings.
Ericjimbob,
Tunbridge Wells, UK,
3 hours ago
Unusual fidgeting is also a sign of something nasty on its way like a stroke or seizure DM.
Dave,
Kent, United Kingdom,
2 hours ago
Perry,
Warrington,
3 hours ago
Oh good, my restless leg syndrome is a good thing then!!
Kate,
Knottingley, United Kingdom,
3 hours ago
I’m always up and down, but I’ve still put on a few pounds!
Jenny Tulwartz,
Hong kong,
3 hours ago
After telling children for years ‘stop fidgetting,’ now we are encouraging it ?
Capt Dan,
jupiter,
6 hours ago
Use it or lose it is absolutely 100% true. Once you let yourself go it’s 10 times harder to get it back. I did and I regret it very much. I’m forcing my self to be active and it’s paying dividends.
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