We have been told time again that exercise helps our body in many ways. Even without being told, we know some of the health benefits of exercise, including reducing the risk of stroke, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and strengthening bones and muscles. Regular exercise does not just improve our physical health; it has also been proven to impact our mental health positively. Most importantly, exercise keeps our heart healthy and protects us from heart diseases. You can contact us at One Heart Clinic to book an appointment for heart check-up anytime.
Studies have shown that exercise cannot undo all the adverse effects of our daily lifestyle, such as spending a greater part of the day sitting. In recent times, several people’s lifestyle includes spending more than half of the day in front of the screen, which has negatively affected their health. In fact, the lifestyle we have become so used to has been proven to take a toll on our health, increasing our risk of cardiovascular disease.
According to researchers, women who were past the age of menopause, overweight or obese, and spent a lot of their time sitting had worse metabolic risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. This includes both Hispanic and non-Hispanic women. Basically, this study aims at showing you the dangerous effects of sitting and its impact on your heart.
The link between sitting and great risk of heart disease
A new study was conducted, and in this study, researchers took note of the sitting behaviour of about 102 Hispanic women and 416 non-Hispanic women. Note that both groups of women were obese or overweight, and they were all postmenopausal.
It is important to note that the information on these women came from three separate studies. Nonetheless, the researchers measured the sedentary behaviour of these women the same way through the use of wearable activity monitors. The research included measuring the total amount of time the women spent sitting down and the average length of the sitting sessions. You may ask why the study focused on postmenopausal women – the answer is that older women have the highest sedentary behaviour.
Although everyone’s risk of cardiovascular disease increases with age, it was discovered from the research that the symptoms of cardiovascular disease in women become more pronounced after menopause. This may be because of the decline in the level of the natural hormone oestrogen. This increased risk for older women happens even though older women tend to be more active than older men.
According to the research, women who spent more of their time sitting in longer sessions had worse biomarkers related to cardiovascular disease. The biomarkers include waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), insulin resistance, fasting glucose and triglycerides. The effects were worse in women who are obese than women who are overweight.
Even when the women’s physical activity levels were considered, the connection between sedentary behaviour and cardiovascular disease remained. This means that a sedentary lifestyle was linked to cardiovascular disease even in women who engaged in regular exercise. According to experts, when it comes to heart issues, we should think of a physical activity and the time spent sitting as two different things.
This also means that even regular exercise does not make up for an excessive amount of sitting – you would still have to move around during the day. On that note, healthcare providers should encourage people to spend less time sitting all day; people should engage more in physical activity and not sit down all day before a TV screen.
Strive for more movement during the day
From the research, Hispanic women had shorter sitting sessions and spent less of their day sitting than non-Hispanic women. Researchers were also able to see if sitting affected the two groups of women differently. Although both groups saw a link between greater sedentary behaviour and severe cardiovascular disease biomarkers, the connection between the average length of sitting session and fasting blood glucose was stronger for Hispanic women than non-Hispanic women. In contrast, the link between the total sitting time and BMI was stronger for non-Hispanic women than Hispanic women. This report fits with an earlier study that found self-reported sedentary lifestyles linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, with the differences seen in different races and ethnic groups.
Due to how the study was designed, the researchers could not say that the worsening of biomarkers for cardiovascular disease was caused by increased sitting time. Instead, they were only able to say that the two were connected.
Furthermore, laboratory studies have shown that health markers like glucose control and lipid metabolism are greatly improved when sitting sessions are frequently interrupted. From these results and many more, it is suggested that you should get up and move around every 30 minutes or so. In addition, you can also increase your heart rate and make it healthier by engaging in any form of activity like walking up and down a flight of stairs. This action makes your heart pump more blood, and it has been shown, time and time again to be very beneficial to the heart.
Sitting for long hours and living a sedentary lifestyle profoundly affect metabolism, increasing the risk factors for heart disease. Because of this effect, it is recommended that physical activity becomes a part of our lives all day long. Engaging in regular exercise will not be enough, as you need to be physically active all day long.
When cared for, our hearts will remain strong and healthy, and we will not have to worry about serious cardiovascular diseases. Besides physical activity, you should also go for a heart check-up from time to time. Get in touch with us at One heart Clinic for heart issues and tips. You can also contact us to book an appointment for heart check-up. Get across to us today by mail or by phone call for more information.
