OH! Magazine - Australian Version April 2015 | Page 13

ANNA-LOUISE
BOUVIER

happybodyatwork.com.au

( Mind/Body Happiness )

WE’RE SITTING

LONGER THAN WE’RE SLEEPING!
Anna-Louise Bouvier reinforces why movement is essential
for optimum health.
he news headlines are filled with
claims like ‘Sitting is the new
smoking’. And it’s true!

T

If you sit for more than 11 hours a day
(that means sitting at work/uni/travelling/
at home/watching TV, etc, then your risk
of a major cardiovascular event (think
stroke or heart attack) increases by 40
per cent over the next three years.
If you want to watch a great summary
piece about the research in this area then
check out this five-minute segment from
the TV program Catalyst.

What’s caused this sedentary lifestyle?
Technology! Today, most people sit to
work, relax, socialise and eat, much of
which we undertake while also staring at
a screen of some type.
Coupled with this, many forms of
incidental activity such as walking to and
from places, doing housework, mowing
lawns, washing and hanging clothes, and
many other daily activities are not nearly
as physical as they used to be. The result?
Our overall strength is less.
How can we move more and sit less?

What does ‘sedentary’ mean?

It’s easier than you think:

Many people think about sedentary time
in terms of how much time they are sitting
at work. But it’s really the sum of how
much time you spend on your bum all day
(e.g., at work, home, during commutes,
having coffee, eating meals, etc).

•

Get up from your desk six times an hour
and move up and down on your toes.

•

Buy a pedometer or use your phone
to record your total daily steps. Aim
for 10,000 a day.

•

Hold and participate in walking
meetings instead of coffee catchups.

•

Do a little exercise that makes you
huff and puff, every day. This will lift
your mood and help you sleep better.

•

Stand up when you have a coffee
break.

To learn even more, watch videos of AnnaLouise Bouvier online at:
• http://video.news.ninemsn.com.
au/?uuid=4094092454001
• http://youtu.be/cdy-WM0oy2Q

We have known that slumpy sitting is
really hard on your back and neck. We
also know many of the more dangerous
affects relate to your cardio-metabolic
system.
When you sit for long periods of time
without moving, your muscles are not
pumping blood up to your brain. And over
time, your blood sugar levels start to
drop.
Without realising it you go looking for a
‘lift’, which is where we often crave sugar
or coffee. The trouble with this is that is a
very short term solution.

( OH! MAGAZINE ) APRIL 2015

13