benefits of movement and physical activity

Don't Sit Still
Linda Slota, Director

It is not just exercise, but other movement (standing, walking, talking, fidgeting, etc.) that keeps some people lean. For 10 days, researchers tracked the posture and the movements made by 10 lean and 10 mildy obese people, all self proclaimed "couch potatoes".

The Results:  The big potatoes stayed seated for about 2 1/2 hours longer per day than the small potatoes. That means the obese group burned about 350 fewer calories a day - a difference that translates into 33 pounds a year. Alas, it is not so easy to change. For 2 months, the researchers put 7 members of the obese group on a diet (they lost 18 poiuinds) and overfed the lean folks (they gained 9 puonds).

What to Do:

If you are overweight, keep moving. Walk rather than ride. Don't sit when you can stand and keep moving when you have to sit. Move to the music from your car radio. Lift weights or do sit-ups while you watch TV, etc.

When to Stay Mobile, Keep on the Move 

When it comes to staying mobile in old age the rule seems to be: Use it or lose it. That is the conclusion of a study that followed 3,075 American adults, ages 70-79, for four and a half years to see who began to develop problems walking or climbing stairs. The participants who exercised regularly were only half as likely to develop mobility problems as those who were inactive. "Physical activity in old age is as important as taking your medication," the study's lead author, Marjolein Vissar, PhD, of Vrije University in the Netherlands, told Reuters news service, adding, "You do not need to join an expensive, fancy sports club with high tech equi[pment." At the beginning of the study all participants reported no difficulty walking a quarter-mile or climbing 10 stairs. if yuo do not like to exercise or you cannot exercise because of serious health probmes or functional limitations, do try to be as active as possible.