The antidote to sitting’s harmful effects is simple: frequent movement. You don’t have to spend hours at the gym to counteract the damage of sitting. Instead, aim to break up long periods of sitting by standing, stretching, or walking every 30 minutes. Investing in a standing desk, walking meetings, or taking short movement breaks during the day can add up to significant benefits for your health. In this post, I’ll break down the easy “3 S rule” of exercise that you can do everyday to help increase your longevity.
Steps:
Whether walking or running, having a step count of around 10'000 each day has been shown to boost metabolism, increase circulation, and keep healthy muscle tone. Over time, it can reduce conditions like back pain, poor posture, and muscle imbalances, which furthers health decline as we age.
Stairs:
Taking the stairs is a simple but effective form of exercise that works multiple muscle groups, improves cardiovascular fitness, and strengthens bones. It's also a great way to boost your metabolism and improve insulin sensitivity, which helps lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Even short bursts of stair climbing can have positive effects. Studies suggest that climbing just 60 steps a day can improve leg strength and cardiovascular function. Over time, this simple habit can help improve longevity by maintaining muscle mass, heart health, and overall physical function.
Squats:
Squatting not only strengthens the muscles in your legs, hips, and core but also improves joint flexibility and balance, important factors as we age. Regular squatting helps maintain the natural range of motion in your hips and knees, preventing the stiffness and limited mobility that often come with aging. This is essential for maintaining physical independence later in life and reducing the risk of falls, one of the leading causes of injury in older adults. A study by Baretto de Brito et al. found that cultures that sit on the floor end up squatting more far more often in everyday life. This constant sitting to standing is linked with reduced mortality rates.
Happy stepping, happy squatting,
Dr. Cole Maranger DC
Barretto de Brito et al. Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2014. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487312471759
And happy "stairing"?