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Even Small Amounts Of This Lead To Big Changes
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Computers, smart phones, and the internet have been life changing things for us, haven’t they? It seems as if we can do almost everything online and many of us do. While these things are super convenient, they do have their downsides. We live a more sedentary lifestyle than ever imagined by our grandparents.
Something as simple as walking down the street is now seen as a chore. You see people walking in the mall dragging their feet, huffing and puffing along as if this were a hard workout. There is no energy to their gait, no fluidity in the motion of their bodies, as if they were unaccustomed to simply walking.
The truth is, they are. We are so accustomed to being driven everywhere. We drive to work, walk a few steps to get into an elevator, sit at our desks, go back to our cars, go home and plop on the sofa for the next installment of The Walking Dead.
There are plenty of truly disabled and ill persons who would give almost anything just to be able to walk.
A new study is putting out a call for every person, who is able to, to take more walks throughout the day in order to maintain their cardiovascular strength. For those who sit behind a computer desk all day, this study is even more vital. This study found that persons who sit for six hours a day drastically decline their overall vascular elasticity, according to the University of Missouri School of Medicine.
The good news here is that this study also found that when a person breaks up those 6 hours with just 10-minute walking breaks, vascular health is restored and kept in good working order.
Of course, it is easy to get involved in a project and spend hours pouring over spreadsheets and sending emails, however, we need to find time or make time for our health. This study found that sitting for 6 hours each day dramatically reduced the blood flow to the legs and that just 10 minutes of walking reversed that damage.
Decreased blood flow, the friction that is caused by blood flowing on the artery wall, referred to as shear stress, is also reduced. Low levels of shear stress reduce the ability of the arteries to dilate. The more arteries can dilate, the healthier it is.
In general, everyone needs 30 minutes each day, minimum, of moderate exercise. This includes a nice, brisk walk, five days each week. Two days of strength training and stretching exercises also will keep your body in good shape.
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