If you think there isn’t much you can do about having an office job and needing to sit all
day….you’re wrong!

It’s true that sitting for long hours is not great for your health. It can mess with your
metabolism and lead to issues with blood sugar and cholesterol. When you sit, the
muscles in your legs (the largest muscles in your body!) barely contract, use up very little fuel, and stop releasing substances that would break down fatty acids in circulation.

But what if just 3 MINUTES of exercise every half hour could combat the ill effects of
sitting?

A study just published out of Sweden found that taking mini-breaks to move every 30 minutes supported blood sugar levels in office workers. Here were the details:

●16 middle-aged men and women with sedentary desk jobs and a history of obesity
(that’s a recipe for metabolic risk!) participated in the study.

● Half of the participants continued with their normal habits.

● Half downloaded an app that alerted them every 30 minutes to get up and move
for 3 minutes.

● After 3 weeks, those who had been doing the 3-minute exercise breaks showed
improvements in their metabolic health! The changes were small but
meaningful—including signs of improvement in blood sugar control, cholesterol
levels, and insulin resistance.

How do you exercise for 3 minutes? There is no wrong way. You can pretty much do anything your coworkers will put up with. Here are some ideas:

󰝋 Climb stairs
󰝋 Do jumping jacks

󰝋 March in place
󰝋 Do squats
󰝋 Hop on one foot
󰝋 Jog in place
󰝋 Walk around

It’s often the smallest changes that add up over time for massive impact. All you need to do here is set a reminder on your phone to alert you every 30 minutes. Get up, move, and get back to work.

Will you do it? Comment with an exercise emoji if you’re in.

Committed to your health,

Valarie

Reference

Smith JAB, Savikj M, Sethi P et al. Three weeks of interrupting sitting lowers fasting
glucose and glycemic variability, but not glucose tolerance, in free-living women and men
with obesity. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2021; 321: E203-E216. [link]