Growing up in India I was surrounded by moustaches of all different shapes and sizes.
It was basically Movember every month!
Well, as your physio I’d like to talk about the other important aspect to Movember – Move In MOVEmber.
Yes, MOVE.
Move for your health is not groundbreaking information, is it?
We are quite good at meeting our daily recommended dose of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
I have seen more people than ever (especially after COVID lockdowns) walking, biking or training for virtual marathons.
But unfortunately, we have let an unhealthy habit slip right under our noses, creep into our work and daily lives and become a big part of our collective identity.
The word sedentary comes from the Latin word ‘sedere’ meaning ‘sitting’.
You guessed it right – the 🐘 elephant in the room is the excessive sitting at our desks, our cars and our couches.
“But I run every day!” I hear you bemoan.
Ok, for the people in the back.
Too 👏 much 👏 sitting 👏 is 👏 different 👏 from 👏 too 👏 little 👏 exercise 👏
An hour of running does not make up for hours of unbroken sitting. It does, however, make you an…
| Active couch potato – the negative consequences from too much sitting remains even after accounting for the positive benefits from regular moderate to vigorous exercise. |
What are the health implications of too much sitting?
- There is a 15% increase in the risk of death (from all causes) in people who sit for 8-11 hours/day and a whopping 40% increase in those who sit for more than 11 hours/day.
- Twice the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease.
- Increased risk of cancer, particularly of the colon.
- Increased risk of back pain.
I know I have stopped you in your tracks.
Who would have thought that sitting (often as part of our jobs) could be associated with the dreaded ‘C’ word?
So where do we go from here…
We know that sitting for longer than 7 hours or 30-minute bouts is too much or excessive sitting.
There is however something that you can do that will reduce the risk from excessive sitting and improve short term outcomes.
| An easy 2-minute break from sitting in the form of standing up and gentle walking after every 30 minutes of sitting. |
As easy as that!
It does not require fancy equipment or learning new tricks!
And that’s my magic bullet to all the Mo-Bros (and everyone else) out there.
MOVEmber does not have to stop with daily 60 mins of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
This year let us strive to elevate our MOVEmber to a new pinnacle.
MOVE for 2 minutes after every 30 minutes of sitting.
Let me leave you with some advice from the good doctor, Dr Seuss who has some ideas for moving more for you.
The time has come. The time is now.
Just Go, Go! I don’t care how.
You can go by foot. You can go by cow.
You can go on skates. You can go on skis.
You can go in a hat. But please go. Please!
Dr Seuss
Need help to move in Movember?
A couple of handy tips are to get a friend involved and message eachother if you’re both working at a desk together with a friendly reminder to get up and move!
You can also use timers on your phone or computer to remind you to move.
And for those who can’t move or in pain, you can book in with your physio online here and get a plan to get you moving comfortably again.
