Good news for the desk bound…

We have all heard about the target of walking about 10,000 steps per day which roughly equates to walking 5 miles per day.  Well many years ago when I worked long hours in IT some days, and lets be frank even some months, the possibility of me walking 10,000 steps per day was a pipe dream.  I would say this was especially true in the winter when the dark skies, cold, wind and rain didn’t exactly entice me to go outside even though I love walking.

Researchers in Trondenheim University in Norway have discovered that in heart patients after just 12 weeks of walking 3000 steps every day, the hearts pumping function improved which in turn improved their ability to exercise.

They concluded that moderate continuous exercise, such as walking 3,000 steps or 1.5 miles in 30 minutes had as much benefit on the heart as more vigorous, intensive exercising.  Moderate walking decreased the strain on the heart, improved heart muscle function, improved blood vessel dilatation, helped form new blood vessels and lowered blood pressure.

On average a sedentary person completes between 1,000 to 3,000 steps per day.  Which is good news for the desk bound as you can now aim for 3,000 continuous steps which is much easier to achieve than 10,000!

Reference

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2017/01/19/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.022924

 

Related Posts

  • The Impact of Sitting All Day – Part 7

    There is a wide range of American start up companies, creating technology solutions to combat the new "sitting disease".  In previous posts I have discussed in the impact of sitting all day

    In my post, "Taking a Break", I explored the reasons for taking a break and looked at the latest research on the length of break you need to take and the frequency.  In my last blog post, "Get Moving" I looked at how you can move while working.  In this post I want to review the technology solutions that are out there. Activity Trackers Most of the technology solutions currently available are wearable activity trackers. These products are basically advanced sensors that come embedded inside of bracelets or clips that hook onto your clothing. They measure your daily activity (steps taken and calories burned), sleep, and through an associated app, diet.  Below I list some of the common trackers.
    • 1. Apple Watch
    Everyone knows that Apple is about to launch the Apple Watch which will have a plethora of health and fitness functionalities. However the Apple Watch heavily relies on the iPhone to function and is not really considered a standalone device. But I want to focus on one interesting feature which is that ten minutes before each hour, the Apple Watch taps on their arms as an alert to ecourage you to stay active or just simply stand up. I can see this being essential for people who want to stay active but find they lose track of time when they work.
    • 2. Jawbone UP
    The company’s wearable activity tracker, Jawbone UP includes a step counter, sleep tracker and an idle alert, which offers reminders to users by buzzing if they are inactive. What is neat about Jawbone is that it links to your calendar from your iPhone and see what your schedule is with meetings and we can say — rather than buzzing you during the middle of your board meeting — we can actually wait until the end and give you some insight.
    • 3. Nike+ Fuelband
    What is good about the Nike+ Fuelband activity tracker is that lets you set an activity goal, you can press a button on an LED screen to check your progress, and displays a green light when you have achieved your goal.  However it can be inaccurate if for some reason you happen to move your hands swiftly throughout the day.
    • 4. Fitbit One
    Fitbit One is the best holistic tracking of activity, diet and sleep and is good value compared to some of the other activity trackers. The app creates graphs, charts and tools based on your data and lets you easily log food, water, weight, food plans and more.  It is especially good for women as you can clip it in the center of your bra, rather than trying to blend in a wrist based activity tracker with your outfit. Applications “I'll help you unclog your mind and uncramp your body”, is the promise of HotSeat health app that turns short breaks into meaningful activity through nudges and social accountability.  What I like about this application is that it allows you to create competition - which are always very motivational! Darma - The Hitech Cushion Digital health upstart Darma have developed a cushion that aims to help people take control of their sitting habits.  It helps you remember to maintain good posture when sitting down for long periods of time. The cushion contains one millimeter-thick fiber optic sensors that sense the user’s movements. The pillow also has embedded sensors that detect heart rate, stress level, and respiration. All of this information is sent to a companion app on the user’s smartphone. The app can then track a user’s stress level, sitting time, and posture and try to motivate users to get up every now and then. It will also alert users when they’ve slipped into a bad position and explain how to correct their posture. If users are feeling back pain, the app can guide them through stretches that might help relieve it.  To me this more directly provides relevant information to help my clients than some of the more wearable technology solutions.  I am looking forward to its launch later this year, until then there is always massage!

  • Using Positive Psychology to boost Resilience – Part 1

    Sometimes in life we can get trapped, focusing on what we don't have rather that what we do have, which can lead to a state of anxiety and stress.  I know in the past, I have been guilty of believe my happiness will increase when I earn more, find my ideal man, get promoted at work (- obviously I am talking about before I was self-employed), have a bigger house.  The danger is when we get the promotion, pay rise, bigger house etc we immediately focus on the next goal and an increase in our happiness  is now dependent on our next goal. Growing up with mother who suffered from frequent bouts of depression which made her focus on the negativity, I have learned the importance of focusing on the positive.  Now their may be some people reading this, saying that is all well and good for you, but isn't that burying your head in the sand when your have problems.  The short answer to this is no.  It is important to acknowledge your problems & difficulties but rather than focus on life’s BS and pain, focus on what is going right.  At the same time remember that what ever isn't working in your life right now, will pass!  

  • Difference Between Sports and Deep Tissue Massage

    • Seated Acupressure Neck & Shoulder massage is a short focused massage to release tension in the Neck & Shoulders
    • Choose Sports massage over deep tissue massage when you go to the gym with a specific sporting goal in mind, i.e. you are going for more than just generally keeping fit.  Or you are really focused on your sport including actively taking part in competitions or you are keen to improve your performance or your training is solely focused on your sport and you do not cross train.
    Sports Massage Deep Tissue Massage
    Incorporates Deep Pressure Yes Yes
    Similar massage stokes Yes Yes
    Releases muscle tension, pain, physical stress and stiffness while restoring flexibility Yes Yes
    Able to resolve common injuries and woes for inactive, desk bound people Yes Yes
    Incorporates a custom blend of oils and hot stones to relieve tension and anxiety No Yes
    Athlete orientated including -      Focus on improving athletic performance -      Incorporates stretching -      Assessing injury risk -      Rehabilitation after injury Yes No
    Knowledge of sport -     Able to deliver specific pre-exercise treatment for any given sport -     Able to deliver specific post-exercise treatment for any given sport -     Able to deliver specific treatment during intense training for any given sport Yes No