283. Sitting all day can harm your health even if you exercise
Dr. David Geier is an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist in Charleston, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina. He helps athletes and active people feel and perform their best, regardless of age, injuries and medical history. He has been featured in major media publications and shows over 2,500 times throughout his career.
Even if you exercise for 30 minutes each day, your risk of poor health increases if you sit the rest of the day. In a recent study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers in Finland had over 3,700 adults wear activity trackers for one week that allowed them to determine whether someone was sitting, walking or formally exercising at any point during the day. They observed that a large percentage of the study participants performed exercise for 30 minutes each day. But if they also sat for 10 to 12 hours the rest of the day – whether it was at work or at home after work – they tended to have higher body fat, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. On the other hand, moving even a little bit more during the day, whether it’s more exercise or just walking from place to place, proved to lead to better overall health.
Through the stories of a dozen athletes whose injuries and recovery advanced the field (including Joan Benoit, Michael Jordan, Brandi Chastain, and Tommy John), Dr. Geier explains how sports medicine makes sports safer for the pros, amateurs, student-athletes, and weekend warriors alike.
