Sitting Kills, Moving Heals

“The physical deterioration suffered by astronauts in space in a matter of days, mirrors what happens to all of us here on Earth as we age. However, living in space profoundly magnifies the changes that normally take a lifetime to appear. On Earth, from age 20 we lose roughly 1 percent of our bone density a year. Yet astronauts in space, on average, lose 1.6 percent of their bone density a month, and some have lost as much as 1 percent in a single week! This is on top of their muscles becoming weaker, their immune systems being suppressed, and their sleep being disturbed. And when they first return from space, they have less stamina, they shuffle when walking, and they have lost their sense of balance. It’s tough being an astronaut!

Fortunately, these dramatic changes are reversed after astronauts return home and commence a recovery program. So what exactly is their secret to restoring full health? What can we Earth-bound folks learn from the experience of astronauts that can help us keep our own strength and youthful vigor? The answers to these questions form the basis of this book’s gravity prescription, and constitute a practical survival kit to wellness right here on Earth.”

“About nine years ago, James Levine an exercise physiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, coined the term non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). His concept of NEAT sounds much like what I had been discovering in my space and gravity-related research.

NEAT is a much greater component of your body’s total energy expenditure throughout a typical day than are structured high-intensity exercises such as walking, running, bicycling, or working out in a gym. NEAT is defined as the small, brief, yet frequent muscular movements one makes throughout the day, of which changing positions is the most effective: standing, sitting, lying down, bending over to pick up something, squatting, stretching upward to take something off a shelf, getting dressed and undressed, playing a musical instrument, and stirring a pot; even movements as small as crossing and uncrossing one’s legs, waving one’s hands while talking, and fidgeting are helpful. It is these types of small movements and activities that do not happen enough when a person is habitually inactive. Whenever we move around, calories we have consumed are converted into energy by contracting muscles and are measured as generated heat—thermogenesis—the ‘T’ in the ‘NEAT’ acronym. Thus, people who move around a lot all day, even if they don’t go to the gym or engage in intense exercise burn up many more calories than people who are sedentary. They even expend more calories than those who do go to the gym, but then spend the rest of their day sitting around. Not surprisingly, the research on NEAT has shown a connection between the lack of NEAT and obesity and metabolic diseases like diabetes.”

“It can be difficult to convey to people that I am not talking about getting more exercise—I’m talking about a different kind of exertion. I am referring to the multitude of small, low-intensity movements we make throughout the day as we go about the business of living—movements that are related to using gravity. These are movements that occur naturally throughout the day when you’re doing activities other than sitting. And yet these simple movements—these G-habits—are the key to health! …

Developing a varied set of habitual non-exercise movements is the most important thing you can do. Even if you do exercise regularly at the gym, pay attention to your habits when you are not exercising, for they benefit your body in a very different way. If your life and work are such that you cannot get away to exercise, you do not enjoy playing a sport, and you spend much of your day sitting in an office or a car, all is not lost. This is all the more reason why you will derive great benefits from restoring gravity habits—G-habits—back into your life. You had these habits as a growing child, so it’s simply a question of getting them back.”

“Now that you know where you stand on the gravity fitness scale and have established some baseline measurements, take a few minutes to think about your daily habits. What do you regularly do that uses gravity? For example, how many hours a week do you spend doing housework or yard work? Do you go out of your way to climb two or three flights of stairs instead of taking an elevator? When at work or when shopping, do you park a little distance from the building’s entrance, even if closer spaces are available? Do you leave your car in one place and run a number of local errands on foot? Perhaps you are a city-dweller who walks everywhere, or perhaps you work at a job involving lots of lifting, bending, and changes in posture—if so, you are way ahead of the game.

Next, think when and where you have the opportunity to modify your habits. Instead of working through your coffee break or using the time to sit and have a snack, why not take a brisk walk around the building? If you pop into the grocery store to pick up a few items, how about collecting your purchases in a handheld basket instead of wheeling a cart through the store? At the airport, would you be willing to walk alongside the people-mover, especially if you will be sitting for the next few hours on a long flight? Something as simple as standing up from your desk every 15 minutes, or even raising your arms above your head may seem insignificant, yet these actions require some effort: Muscles are contracting, bones are stimulated. Your heart rate increases every time you get out of a chair. You use your sense of balance to straighten your posture as you rise. When you stand up, you are defying gravity by going in the opposite direction. Have you considered that you need to get blood to your head as well as your feet? Every little bit you do helps.”

“And, strangely enough, attitude may also be a significant factor. Remember that song, ‘Whistle While You Work?’ How about thinking ‘strong’ while you work? A recent study showed that even thinking of housework as exercise has benefits. Psychologist Ellen Langer at Harvard University studied 84 women who worked as hotel housekeepers, cleaning rooms and changing sheets. Half the women were told that they should think of their work as exercise. They were even told how many calories they burned doing specific tasks: 40 calories for 15 minutes of changing linens, 50 calories for 15 minutes of vacuuming, 60 calories for 15 minutes of cleaning bathrooms. The other half were told nothing about any health benefits of their work. After four weeks, those told of the benefits had lowered their blood pressure by 10 percent and lost two pounds and 0.5 percent body fat on average. Dr. Langer concluded ‘the changes were a function of the change in mind-set alone.’ She added, ‘If you are just sitting on the couch and just telling yourself that you’re exercising, you’re not going to believe yourself and so there will be no change.’”

“Telomeres, those little caps at the end of chromosomes that protect your DNA and allow healthy cell division, become shorter with age. They have therefore become a useful indicator of your state of health. Short telomeres have been linked to illness, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression, shorter lifespan, and early death.

The bad news is that research is now showing that people with a sedentary lifestyle also have shorter telomeres. As you might have guessed, physical activity helps you keep those telomeres longer, but only if it is moderate. More exercise is not better. People with high levels of physical activity had, in fact, shorter telomeres, just like those who sat too much. The message is clear: Be active, but don’t overdo it if you want to see those grandkids grow up.”

“Space research points out that the body senses and responds to gravity stimulus best when the signals are frequent, low intensity, stop-start movements experienced throughout the day. This book challenges the conventional wisdom that structured, intense, once-a-day exercise is all you need to replace being active the rest of the time. Its message is simple: If you want to remain healthy and strong for life on Earth, keep doing things, a variety of things, all day, 365 days a year.

It’s up to you. Success is a question of attitude, an attitude that should be based on the desire to remain healthy. Your body is your personal responsibility—not your country’s, nor your insurance company’s, nor even your doctor’s. Take action. Why wait to get sick before you decide to be healthy?”