Sitting too much hinders the benefits of exercise

We all know the dangers of sitting too much. Sedentary behavior has been linked to negative health outcomes, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and even an increased risk of death, whether from heart disease or other medical problems, according to a 2015 scientific publication inserted in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

According to the researchers, sedentary behavior and inactivity reached a “pandemic state” in the United States in 2020. That’s not surprising considering how many people have been stuck at home for most of the year.

Do you think you are immune because you run almost every day? Not so much. A February 2021 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that people who take fewer than 5,000 steps a day are bracing for “exercise endurance”.

When you do intense exercise – an hour of moderate-intensity running, in the case of this study – there are two physical responses that can be measured the next day: a lowering of the postprandial plasma triglyceride response to a high-fat meal and an increase in fat oxidation.

This means – says study author Edward Coyle, Ph.D, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Texas, Austin – that “after a workout, your body is more efficient at removing fat from the bloodstream. and burn it (or oxidize it), so less fat is stored in your body. ” But if your daily activity level is too low outside of that exercise hour, these responses will not occur, causing your body to retain more fat. This is called “exercise resistance”.

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