If you go to the gym and work out an hour each day, but then sit at a desk the rest of the day, new research shows that the damage done by the extended periods of sitting cannot be prevented by that hour at the gym. While going to the gym does have benefit, it cannot offset the hours of stillness of the rest of the day.
Americans spend over half their waking hours sitting, while watching television, driving, or sitting at a desk at work or at home. We weren’t designed for that. The human body was designed to be in motion. Prolonged sitting has been called “the new smoking” by scientists, and for good reason. Too much sitting and not enough motion is as dangerous as smoking! It increases the risk of premature death due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia, obesity, and diabetes, not to mention anxiety and depression, as well as back, neck, and sciatica pain. Rather than going to a gym each day, important new research is showing that we should develop a “movement-based lifestyle.”
The healthiest, fittest, and longest living people on the planet have never stepped foot in a gym! Instead, they embrace a lifestyle that keeps their body in motion through the day. As depicted in the best-selling book The Blue Zones, author Dan Buettner traveled around the world and found pockets of people in geographically remote areas of the world who have been living extraordinarily long and healthy lives for centuries. Besides eating a mostly plant-based diet, not smoking, and having a sense of belonging, there is a noticeable absence of a time set aside each day to exercise. Instead of sitting most of the day, their entire day is filled with the kind of activities that keep their bodies in motion.
Fossil records show that our prehistoric ancestors were fitter, stronger, and had greater bone density than today’s Olympic athletes. Their normal levels of movement were much higher than ours. Early man’s activities included foraging for food, hunting, making tools and weapons, building shelters, and evading predators. We have now become too sedentary as a species. While modern technology has made our lives easier, it has also created new challenges for the human body. Our current way of life has taken away the kinds of activities that kept our ancient ancestors healthy. While going to the gym is OK, our whole approach to exercise needs to change.
For our bodies to function at a higher level, rather than work out a single set-time each day, a better approach is to do small amounts of exercise throughout the day. Starting at 8:00 am and repeating every 2 hours, get up from your chair and perform a 3- to
- Squats for 30 to 60 seconds
- Push-ups for 15 to 30 seconds
- Pull-ups or Towel Curls for 15 to 30 seconds
- Bridges for 15 to 30 seconds
- Towel Rows for 15 to 30 seconds
- Burpees for 30 to 60 seconds
The exercises above are intense enough to challenge your body, yet short enough not to get all sweaty and stinky. Besides the floor, the only “equipment” you’ll need is a portable doorway pull-up bar (click here) and a towel. At the end of each 3- to 4-minute session, drink 16 ounces of purified water. Also, add brisk walking outdoors for 30-45 minutes, 3-4 days per week.
If you do everything outlined here, you will see more positive changes in your health and physique than if you went to the gym every day. Commit to this for 6 months and see for yourself.
