Move over, under-used treadmill that's become a clothes hanger -- now there's something smaller! Researchers at Penn State are circulating a study that says, “People may be able to keep the weight off by using a compact elliptical device while sitting at a desk or watching TV.”
This could be beneficial for a host of health conditions.
According to James A. Levine, M.D., Ph.D. of the Mayo Clinic, “Researchers have linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels.”
Researchers were working to combat the reported more than 11 hours per day sitting people put in while on the computer or catching their favorite shows.
Liza Rovniak, assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences at Penn State said, "Evidence suggests that this sedentary lifestyle has contributed to average weight gains of one to two pounds per year among U.S. adults over the last 20 years."
More than 30 participants used this elliptical device while their biometrics such as energy use and heart rate were monitored. Their interest level while participating in their sedentary activities was also recorded.
The results? More than 85 percent put out greater energy to counterbalance weight gain. Researchers said, “The other 14 percent would have had the same result if they increased the pace of pedaling slightly.”
This is important, because in a prior study at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Researcher Peter Katzmarzyk suggested that simply sitting too much is risky behavior when it comes to your health. "It's right in the same ballpark as smoking and obesity — sedentary behavior is in the same category."
In fact, hold onto your seats -- Yes, there is another study about sitting. This study was from Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena and focused on men.
Researcher Deborah Rohm said this about the study. “The risk of heart failure was more than double for men who sat for at least five hours a day outside of work and didn't exercise very much compared with men who were physically active and sat for less than two hours a day.”
So pedaling an elliptical makes sense to combat such a detrimental sedentary activity that researchers say its effects are hard to undo. Katzmarzyk told Bloomberg.com “It’s about the inactivity in your muscles. When you’re sitting your legs are completely inactive.”
Katzmarzyk said that just getting your 30 minutes of exercise in a day is not enough to combat these dire statistics if you choose to sit for the duration of the rest of the day.
Sources:
“Small elliptical exercise device may promote activity while sitting – ScienceDaily.com.” Science Daily. Web 27 January 2014.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140122091944.htm
“Sitting risks: How harmful is too much sitting? - James A. Levine, M.D. – MayoClinic.org.” The Mayo Clinic. Web 27 January 2014.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/sitting/expert-answers/faq-20058005
“Sitting Less May Add Two Years To U.S. Life Expectancy – Bloomberg.com.” Bloomberg Business. Web 27 January 2014.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-09/sitting-less-may-add-two-years-to-u-s-life-expectancy.html
“Study: Excessive Sitting Cuts Life Expectancy by Two Years – USNews.com.” US News and World Report. Web 27 January 2014.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/21/sitting-disease-heart-failure/4661431/
Joanne Sgro-Killworth is a Television Fitness Expert, Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutritionist. She is Certified in Pilates, Pre-natal/Post-Partum, Yoga and Senior Fitness. She specializes in Weight Loss, Post-Rehab and Post Cancer Training.
Joanne's fitness plans and recipes are available globally on her website www.happiwoman.com/ She resides in the Phoenix, AZ area with her husband and son, where she runs her personal training business, Fitness Answer, LLC.
Reviewed January 28, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith