October 11

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Why Sitting is Bad for Our Blood Glucose Levels

By Gabriela

October 11, 2021


Spending a lot of time each day in a chair puts us at elevated risk of just any health issue we can think of. As a matter of fact, we should know that sitting for more than 8 hours a day has been related to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

In case we already have this chronic condition, we should bear in mind that prolonged sitting actually raises the likelihood of worsening sings or the development of heart disease.

Read on to find out more about the connection between prolonged sitting and diabetes.

Study on This Topic

According to recent studies, being sedentary, for example, spending too much time in front of the computer screen or TV or sitting at a desk all day long has been linked with many risk factors for metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

Risk factors such as high triglyceride levels, waist circumference, and high cholesterol.

Based on one study from the Netherlands people who were more sedentary were actually more likely to have these metabolic conditions. This is a comparison to those people who were less sedentary.

This study came to the discovery that one additional hour of sedentary time on a daily basis was linked with 39 % increased risk for metabolic syndrome and  22 % increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Now that we know this, we need to do everything possible to move more.

7 Simple Ways to Sit Less and Move More

1. Make Sure to Wear Comfortable Shoes

Our shoes don’t necessarily need to be as comfortable as our sneakers, however, they should not be a hindrance when it comes to moving more often.

2. Set A Reminder

Make a habit to stand up every 30 minutes. In order to do this, we need to set the alarm on a phone, set a reminder on an old-fashioned egg timer or a timer app on the laptop at work.

Our mealtime should be our reminder to exercise after we finish eating.

According to Colberg-Ochs, studies show that if we are physically active after we finish eating, we can dampen or prevent post-meal spiking of our blood sugar.

3. Work on the Feet

We can work on our feet while we are at the office. Returning phone calls, texts, and e-mails standing up. We will do our job and take care of our health at the same time.

4. Get a Pedometer

We should know that a pedometer will inspire us to move more. How? It will show how many steps we take. Scheiner suggests to wear it for a couple of days before we change our sedentary life in order to get a measure of our level of activity.

Then after a couple of days, we should start moving, and we will notice the results.

5. Rearrange Office to Move More

We need to rearrange our office so we can walk or stand in order to use the file cabinet, phone, copier/printer, or whatever we use consistently.

6. Walk When We Talk

When we need to talk something with a family member or a colleague, we can do it while walking around the office building or maybe the block.

7. Step It Up

According to the general guideline we need to take around 10,000 steps on a daily basis. This is around 5 miles worth of footfalls. We should know that one usual city block is around 200 steps, and one mile is around 2,000 of them.

So, in 10 minutes, most individuals step around 1,200 times. For most people, the goal is to add 300 more steps to each day this week, and then 300 more per day next week and continue like that.

We can do this by making small and simple changes like taking the stairs instead of the escalators or elevators, walking around the room while talking on the phone, and parking a couple of blocks from our destination.

We can also try to wear a fitness tracker or a monitor that measures our steps. In this way, we will be aware how much steps we make or maybe don’t make. In that way, we will make walking a fun and challenging game.

Author

  • Gabriela

    Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Diabetes Health Page, Fitness trainer and instructor has dedicated her career to educating and informing people for over 10 years. As one of the most passionate diabetes advocates, Gabi has worked tirelessly to ensure that those people receive the education and support they need to properly manage their diabetes and achieve their health, fitness and weight loss goals.

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