BBC2’s recent ‘Horizon’ programme - in which scientists revealed exactly how devastatingly unhealthy it is for us to sit at our desks all day, sit in a car or public transport to travel to work, and sit in front of the TV or the internet all evening - was a real eye-opener.
I have known the ‘theory’ for decades, but the tests undertaken by the programme’s presenter Michael Mosley brought home the principle very graphically by showing the results of a blood test separating out the enormous amount of fat circulating in his body from the blood itself in a test tube, 4 hours after eating a hearty, saturated fat laden, ‘fry-up’ breakfast.
The fact that a large proportion of fat was still seen in his blood 4 hours after eating gave the fat a huge amount of time to create fatty deposits in blood vessels and cause damage to the body.
The Lab scientists at Nottingham put this down to his sedentary lifestyle, and put the presenter through his paces doing intensive bouts of exercise on an exercise bike, also encouraging him to be more generally active throughout the day and measured his activity scientifically.
After 4 weeks of the right sort of exercise, the insulin sensitivity had increased (decrease in insulin sensitivity can lead to Type II diabetes and Michael’s results prior to exercise were on the borderline of the ‘danger’ zone) and also the amount of fat in the blood sample was visibly smaller when tested again 4 hours after eating the same high fat breakfast.
These seem to me to be really important studies, because firstly they demonstrate visually and scientifically that dangerous fat levels in the blood and a dangerous forerunner of Diabetes can both be reduced by exercise, and secondly that ‘exercise’ does not have to mean hours of sweating in the gym, but in fact just 3 x 1 minute of very intensive exercise can have amazing benefits.
I have been unable to take my usual exercise (daily brisk walking) for most of the past year due to a hip fracture in 2011, and have been spending a lot of time sitting at my laptop. However, because of my family history (my mother died age 56 from a heart attack) I began to think about how I can increase my daily general activity without joining a gym, which I have never been interested in and can’t afford!
This is what I came up with, and I thought other people might find the suggestions useful also:
1. I now spend the duration of my morning shower walking on the spot instead of standing still. I made sure that I have a non-slip mat in the shower tray so that I don’t slip.
2. Whilst brushing my teeth at the sink I do the same!
3. I spend a lot of time reading news items and emails when first logging on to my laptop each day. Now I read them whilst standing up and walking on the spot! If I want to also respond to emails whilst walking, the laptop needs to be raised up so I’m not having to bend down to reach the keyboard, so I rest it on top of a couple of thick, sturdy books.
4. During a rare break to watch a TV programme (for research purposes of course!) I spend the first 30 minutes of the programme marching on the spot quite briskly whilst watching. The time flies because I am engrossed in the TV, and before I know it I have done 30 minutes of exercise.
5. Whilst waiting for the kettle to boil or making a phone call I walk around instead of sitting.
I’m confident that I am on my way to counteracting the past year’s inactivity, and when my hip is completely healed will be trying the 3 minutes of High Intensity Training demonstrated in the Horizon programme.
Anyone who has been inactive for a long time or has existing health problems should consult their GP before beginning an exercise programme.
