The whole day matters

The 24-Hour Movement Guidelines don’t look at a single behaviour, but instead focus on how several behaviours work together to create a healthy lifestyle.

“These guidelines are the first to look at 24 hours, to say the whole day matters, instead of looking in isolation at physical activity, for example,” Dr. Jain says. “So we’re looking at getting enough time and intensity in movement, lowering the amount of sedentary time and getting enough sleep.”

For children and youth five to 17 years old, the recommendation is 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day, muscle-strengthening exercises three days a week as well as several hours throughout the week of “structured and unstructured physical activities.”

That might sound overwhelming, but Dr. Jain says not to panic.

“My philosophy is, rather than being prescriptive, especially in kids, focus on the idea of ‘more is better.’ Similar to a well-balanced diet, I would say focus on incorporating a variety of activities,” he says.

Dr. Jain suggests starting at a level that is comfortable and building from there. An hour a day might be too much at the beginning, but any physical activity is better than none, so don’t be afraid to start somewhere and build on it.

Benefits of physical activity

The benefits of consistent physical activity for children and youth are wide-ranging, for both physical and mental health.

“There’s good evidence that it improves body composition, improves cardiovascular fitness and encourages better metabolic health — so reduces the chances of diabetes, for example,” Dr. Jain says.

But the benefits are not only physical.

“It promotes pro-social behaviours, which I think is super important after COVID-19 lockdowns,” he says. “And when we talk about mental health in children or youth, physical activity can help with emotional regulation.”

There is also evidence that children and youth who are involved in regular physical activity experience higher academic achievement and improved cognition.

“Being physically active at a young age establishes good habits as well,” Dr. Jain says, adding if it’s ingrained at a young age, they are more likely to make it a way of life as they get older. “It promotes a good quality of life.”

For kids who don’t like sports

Sports are a great way for children and youth to get active, but not all kids enjoy sports, so what are some options for them?

“Whatever works for the person,” he says. “You can individualize activities based on the child and based on their interests.”

Dr. Jain says doing activities as a family is one great option, whether it’s visiting parks, conservation areas or the local YMCA.

“Family time is key. Kids who grow up seeing their parents being active will likely grow up with these same positive behaviours,” he says.

It doesn’t have to be complicated — walking to school, taking a family walk along a waterfront, swimming — these are all accessible options that can encourage children and youth to be active. And while being active outdoors more than indoors is best, Dr. Jain says online options (he gives the example of Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube) can still meet the need.

What’s most important is consistent activity, and setting these habits when children are young so they’re more likely to continue an active lifestyle as adults.

The post Tips for encouraging physical activity in kids — and why it matters appeared first on Your Health Matters.

The importance of physical activity

When it comes to falls prevention, physical activity is key.

“When seniors are inactive and sedentary, they are more likely to decondition. It’s one of the risk factors [for falls]: poor activity tolerance, weakness, pain,” says Sara, a physiotherapist in Sunnybrook’s Geriatric Day Hospital, an interdisciplinary outpatient therapy program that provides care for seniors to help them continue to live at home safely.

Sara says stay-at-home orders during the pandemic made it difficult for many seniors to maintain a level of physical activity.

“A lot of seniors have had serious deconditioning from staying home, being sedentary,” she says. “Reduced interactions in the community as they stopped going out to run errands or socialize has had an impact on their mobility, function and overall mental wellbeing.”

Belinda Wagner is a physiotherapist and the team lead for Sunnybrook’s Emergency Department One team, a health professionals team that provides support to patients (most of whom are 70+) who don’t need to stay in hospital, but would benefit from community services. The team ensures discharged patients are well-connected and supported in the community to hopefully prevent a return to hospital. She says physical activity doesn’t mean older adults need to start an intense gym routine, but movement is critical.

“The bottom line is the more you move, the more you’re up and exercising, [the better]. Walks around the block, mall walks, getting up periodically. It can be an exercise program, but functional movement first and foremost is the focus,” she says.

Make a plan

With the cold weather arriving, sidewalks will become slippery, the temperature will drop and older adults may be hesitant about heading outdoors. While it might be more difficult to get outside, Kellen, an Occupational Therapist and Project Manager for Senior Friendly and Quality at Sunnybrook, says making a plan with family members can help.

“Make a plan for how you’re going to stay active this winter,” he says, adding he encourages family members to have this conversation with the seniors in their life. “If family members are involved in making a plan, they can check in and see how that plan is going.”

Another aspect to planning is ensuring the home environment is as safe as possible. Through Sunnybrook’s Specialized Geriatric Services, an outreach team can go into a senior’s home to not only assess home safety (i.e. fall or tripping hazards), but to complete a Comprehensive Geriatric Safety Assessment.

“I feel like most seniors would benefit from a home safety assessment, just to have a look at their environment, how they move within their home, see if they do things safely and to make sure they have adequate gait aides such as canes or walkers,” says Sara. Those assessments can be completed through Sunnybrook’s Specialized Geriatric Services with a physician’s referral. Individuals can also self-refer through Home and Community Care Support Services.

Make use of mobility aids

One way to reduce the risk of falls is to use mobility aids such as canes or walkers, which can provide additional stability and support.

Kellen says if you (or a family member) need to hold a wall when walking or are unstable without support, it could be time to discuss using a mobility aid.

“Some of those signs are indicators that someone might need a bit more support, and the risk of falls is greater if you can’t support yourself. If you’re looking for other things to help you, especially things that aren’t designed to support you while you move, you have a greater risk of falling,” he says.

There may be some reluctance to use mobility aids, but Belinda says they are an important tool to keep older adults safe, active and healthy.

“You’re keeping your independence, you’re keeping your ability to do everything as much on your own, to keep safe and to keep moving,” she says.

Kellen suggests speaking to your family physician or contacting home care for a connection to an occupational therapist or physiotherapist to explore whether a mobility aid is a good option for yourself or a family member. For all people, including older adults, remaining active and exercising throughout the winter is important and can actually reduce the risk of falls.

“It’s how do I stay active and moving in a safe way that’s supported and where there’s a plan.”

You can reach Home and Community Care for general inquiries or to make a referral at 310-222—no area code required.

You can reach Sunnybrook’s Geriatric Day Hospital at 416-480-6888

The post How to support and prioritize falls prevention in everyday life appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Now that restrictions are being lifted, is it still worth maintaining that walking habit? Dr. Peter Broadhurst, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at Sunnybrook, and Kaleigh Starritt, an occupational therapist at Sunnybrook, share some of the physical and mental health benefits you can expect from walking regularly, and it might be enough to convince you to keep it up.

Physical benefits

Your body can experience significant physical benefits from a consistent walking routine.

“We know that people who do a regular walking program … have been shown to have reductions in their resting blood pressure, resting heart rates, their total cholesterol levels,” says Dr. Broadhurst. “And then we see increases in their ability to distribute oxygen successfully to the different tissues in the body.”

Of course, walking is not an option for everyone and there are physical limitations that can prevent a person from taking up a regular walking routine, says Dr. Broadhurst.

“When we think of various types of mobility impairments, some people can’t walk, but it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t locomote—another term we sometimes use—which is how you get from point A to point B,” he says. “Walking is obviously the most conventional way of doing that, but it’s not always applicable to every person out there.”

Get that heart rate up

Dr. Broadhurst says anyone over 18 can follow Canada’s exercise guidelines and aim for 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week, in increments of 10 minutes or more.

He says the benchmark of 150 minutes a week, whether it’s 30 minutes a day most days of the week, or longer walks fewer days of the week, will help with “hitting that threshold that we like to see, that we know from studies will have that proven benefit.”

Dr. Broadhurst says moderate activity will elevate your heart rate to 60-70 per cent of your maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart is 220-your age (e.g. 220-45=175). Wearable technology such as a Fitbit or Apple Watch can measure your heart rate, but you can also gauge it yourself.

“For moderate activity, you’d be breathing heavily in between words,” says Dr. Broadhurst. “For more vigorous activity, you probably aren’t carrying on any real conversation because you’re focusing more on breathing.”

Mental health benefits

Kaleigh Starritt works in Sunnybrook’s in-patient mental health unit where once a day, Monday to Friday, patients participate in “wellness walks,” 45-minute walks on the hospital’s grounds (or indoors if it’s raining) that have become one of the unit’s most popular programs.

“Without fail, it’s the favourite group, always, on the unit,” says Kaleigh.

In addition to the physical health benefits of walking, Kaleigh says the mental health benefits are equally as important.

“If you think about anxiety and you think about stress, often we want to move our bodies anyway, even if it’s just pacing in the hallways,” she says. “But actually getting outside, getting your ‘vitamin green’ from nature, perhaps having the opportunity to connect with someone you are walking with — all of this provides psychological benefits as well.”

“Moving your body is so critical,” Kaleigh says, and a regular walking habit can become a “really great, healthy coping mechanism.”

“It just slows things down a little bit. It clears your mind, it gives you that space in your mind that we need so desperately because we’re generally so plugged in all the time.”

The post Why walking regularly could be better for you than you expect appeared first on Your Health Matters.

“Before the pandemic, I was in the gym almost every day,” says the 21-year-old. “It became the best part of my day.”

When Richard’s local gym closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he started working out at home using a resistance band, a large band made of synthetic rubber that can be used for strength training or rehabilitation. The bands provide resistance so muscles are working against its force to help build strength.

The band that Richard used was weighted to 50 pounds, almost 23 kilograms, which means using it was like working out with a 50-pound hand weight.

“After a couple of pulls, the band snapped out of nowhere,” says Richard. “One end hit my left eye and I couldn’t see anything for about 10 minutes. After awhile, my vision started coming back, but was a little blurry. At first, I thought it was just a little injury and wasn’t a big deal.”

Richard says the initial force on his eye caused some pain, but it eventually subsided.

“My eye just looked really bloodshot and red,” he says.

Later in the day, he noticed some changes to his vision.

“I would look left to right and started noticing darker spots, and that’s when I started thinking it might be more serious.”

Impact of retinal detachment

After seeing his optometrist who suspected Richard had suffered a detached retina, he was referred to Sunnybrook where it was determined there was more damage than first thought.

“Richard had an unusual retinal detachment. His retina was damaged in three separate areas,” explains Dr. Kenneth Eng, chief of ophthalmology and vision sciences in the Hurvitz Brain Science Program at Sunnybrook. “There was a large tear in his retina as well as extensive bleeding and bruising. The retina had detached in two places, and there was also a hole in his macula, which is the central part of the retina. He lost a lot of vision. Enough to be considered legally blind in that eye.”

The operation was extensive. Dr. Eng and his team used special surgical tools to do precision work on the fine membrane inside the eye, measuring only one micron thick (or 1/1000^th of a millimetre). The surgery also involved laser treatment to help repair the retinal tears. The team also applied a special silicone solution to help the holes in Richard’s eye heal.

After a few weeks, the bleeding and bruising subsided. After another surgery to remove the silicone, the holes eventually closed and his retina remained attached with improvement in his vision.

Unique case study

The case was so unusual that a photo essay case study was recently published in The Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Eng says within a couple of weeks of Richard’s eye injury, another patient experienced a similar injury after working out with a resistance band at home during COVID. Dr. Eng says while these exercise band injuries seem to be rare, there is the possibility for more cases as more people are exercising at home over the course of the pandemic. Dr. Eng says safety during physical activity is imperative.

“It’s important to exercise with caution and not be cavalier with any workout equipment that is used,” recommends Dr. Eng. “Accidents can happen that could impact vision or lead to serious complications.”

Recovering after retinal detachment

“The first time I had surgery I thought, ‘I won’t be able to see anymore,’” says Richard. “But Dr. Eng had put his whole effort to helping me and the best I could do was move forward and just recover one day at a time with the help of people around me. Throughout my recovery, my family has been there to support me.”

Dr. Eng says about 80 per cent of Richard’s vision has returned over a couple of months.

“Richard has come a long way,” adds Dr. Eng. “Time will tell how much of his vision will return, but he has made some positive progress after his ocular trauma.”

“Before this injury, I had 20/20 vision and I saw everything crystal clear,” says Richard. “But now, if I read with my left eye, I am not able to read small-font books, so I rely on my right eye. I might not get all my vision back, but I just have to get used to it and I am adapting.”

“While exercise is important to maintaining mental health and physical conditioning during the pandemic, care and attention is needed whenever new activities or equipment are being used. Individuals should familiarize themselves with the use and warnings of all equipment being used. Some equipment, like exercise bands, can store significant amounts of energy,” emphasizes Dr. Eng, “so ensuring that they are installed properly and securely is of the utmost importance to help avoid serious accidents.”

In the meantime, Richard says he is remaining positive and when using the bands in the future, he plans to wear protective glasses. “It may look strange to be wearing safety glasses, but I’m not taking any chances. This injury won’t prevent me from going to the gym in the future. I’m going to be more careful and am looking forward to going back when it is safe to do so.”

The post The importance of protecting eyesight during home workouts appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Adjust & be creative

Some people are energized by activities that include others, like group sports or going to the gym. Knowing these outlets aren’t safe or available right now, adjusting your expectations and reward system will help. If you thrive on the social aspect, Denis says to try to build in a virtual home workout or virtual challenge with friends that changes daily or weekly. You can also share a personal fitness goal with a loved one to keep you accountable.

Keep it up

Consistency is the key to success and building healthy habits. Schedule in your time for physical fitness and make that time a priority in your day. Denis says exercise helps boost your immune system and provides many physical and mental health benefits. It can help reduce stress, anxiety and feelings of sadness that can worsen with self-isolation. She says participating in mind-body activities, such as yoga, tai chi and meditation, can also help tend to our mental health.

Explore what’s available

There are countless fitness apps and online training programs, some available at little or no cost. Denis says many fitness and mindfulness leaders have also contributed free resources to help people manage through these difficult times. If you don’t have a lot, or any fitness equipment at home, rest assured many workout options only require your body, a little space and a towel.

Easy does it

If you are starting a new fitness program, go slow and build up over time. Even if you are normally physically active, it can take your body some time to adjust to new or different movements. Ramping up moderately will help reduce the risk of injury and keep you on your game plan.

Enjoy it

Physical activity can help break the monotony of being inside, and even small bursts of elevating your heart rate can be beneficial. If you need some extra motivation, music has been shown to help boost endurance and the overall quality and enjoyment of working out. Denis says whether its dance, tai chi or another activity, this is your opportunity to try something new.

The post COVID-19: Staying fit while staying at home appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Here at Sunnybrook, we piloted a program a few years ago that combined 15 weeks of CBT treatment with 12 weeks of aerobic activity, which included things like biking, running and using an elliptical machine. We found there were symptomatic improvements for all the participants, and they found exercise to be a “doable” component of their treatment.

While we know exercise appears to provide benefits, more research is needed to understand why that happens. Exercise could be likened to a form of exposure therapy, in that it exposes the person to uncomfortable feelings that they get through and feel better afterwards. Exercise may also improve cellular function and blood flow in the brain, as imaging scans have actually shown that exercise changes brain activity and structure.

Combined with a few earlier studies looking at aerobic exercise in OCD, we can say that exercise does appear to provide benefits. Exercise also seems to have a synergistic effect when combined with CBT. In short, the more people do, the better they feel. This is great news, as exercise is generally low cost and accessible in some form to most people.

OCD is not the only mental health condition that can benefit from exercise. There is a larger body of research around exercise (mainly aerobic) and its beneficial effects for major depression. Regular physical activity has also been associated with a decreased prevalence of panic disorder, agoraphobia (a type of anxiety disorder), social phobia and general anxiety. Increased physical activity in childhood has also been associated with a reduced risk of depression in adulthood.

So how much exercise is enough? For general health, Canadian physical activity guidelines recommend adults aged 18-64 get 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (meaning activity that makes you sweat) every week. That equals about five proper workouts lasting 30 minutes, five times per week. Despite this recommendation, research has found only 15 per cent of Canadian adults currently meet this standard.

For depression specifically, current guidelines recommend about three exercise sessions per week, each lasting about 45 minutes to one hour. While aerobic activity has been studied the most, there is no indication that other types of exercise won’t be also beneficial.

The bottom line is that exercise is important for your physical and mental health. If you’re not sure where to start, talk to your doctor about setting up a program that is the best and safest for you.

View the whole Speaker Series event here:

The post The role of exercise in managing obsessive compulsive disorder appeared first on Your Health Matters.

“There are steps we can take that could help delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Jenny Rabin, the study’s lead author and neuropsychology lead at Sunnybrook’s Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation. “Higher levels of daily physical activity may protect against the cognitive decline and loss of brain tissue that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Experts say Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and is not a normal part of aging. It is a progressive disease that deteriorates memory, thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out daily activities, such as bathing and dressing.

There are over 564,000 Canadians who are currently living with dementia. It’s estimated that by 2031, that number will climb to 937,000.

The benefits of exercise for the brain

Amyloid and tau are the two proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease and begin to accumulate in the brain long before memory and thinking difficulties become apparent. This study shows that the protective effects of physical activity can be seen in the preclinical stage of the disease, when individuals have a build-up of amyloid and tau, but are not yet experiencing prominent memory or thinking difficulties.

“There is no cure for Alzheimer’s and there are currently no disease-modifying therapies, so it is critical to investigate risk factors that can be targeted and have the potential to change the course of the disease,” says Dr. Rabin.

Exercising more isn’t the only way to help improve your brain health. The study findings also suggest that lowering vascular risk factors, such as obesity, high blood pressure or tobacco smoking, may offer additional protection against Alzheimer’s disease.

“The research shows us that taking preventative measures and making lifestyle changes early on, could help delay or slow the progression of the disease,” Dr. Rabin explains.

Further investigation is needed to better understand how physical activity may help protect the brain from Alzheimer’s disease. Possibilities include increased blood flow to the brain or the development of new neurons, which help with memory and learning.

How much exercise can help boost my brain health?

In the study, carried out at Massachusetts General Hospital, researchers tracked the physical activity of 182 individuals, ages 60 and older using a pedometer. These individuals were then followed for up to seven years, undergoing annual cognitive assessments and brain scans every two to three years.

“Our findings suggest that taking around 8,900 steps per day can help provide the protective benefits,” says Dr. Rabin. “Additional research needs to be done to determine exactly what kind of exercise is best and the duration needed, but we found that even modest levels of physical activity can help protect the brain.”

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The post Why stepping into a healthier lifestyle could help delay Alzheimer’s disease appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Yoga, like most Eastern philosophies, views the mind and body as interconnected. Working with our body and breath affects our thoughts, and vice versa. How we move and think and our way of being in the world have a profound effect on our health and well-being. This does not mean we can “think” ourselves into being well. Rather, by incorporating practices that steady the mind, we support balance, ease and connection: the underlying conditions for good health.

“Yoga is a process of replacing old patterns with new and more appropriate patterns” ~ Sri T Krishnamacharya

How are yoga and healthcare coming together?

A growing body of evidence supports yoga as an effective integrative treatment for chronic physical and mental health conditions. A recent conference, the Montreal International Symposium on Therapeutic Yoga (MISTY), brought together a wide range of interprofessional presenters, including family doctors, social workers, psychologists and physiotherapists, who have years of experience integrating yoga into their clinical practices. The conference presented evidence-informed, holistic practices drawn from the rich tradition of yoga, and its role in health: from getting a good night’s sleep, managing persistent pain, improving balance and pelvic floor health to helping with trauma and mental health conditions.

A theme that emerged at the conference regarding the integration of yoga and healthcare is that yoga practices are powerful because they help us ‘be with’ difficulty. The habits we develop in an attempt to avoid or suppress pain and discomfort can cause great suffering. We cannot avoid pain in life, but we can learn to choose how we respond. Yoga practices, which include physical postures, breathing practices, mindfulness, meditation, mantras, and intention, help us identify and let go of habits and behaviours that no longer serve us and provide a path toward developing healthier habits.

“The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships.” ~ T.K.V. Desikachar 

How can patients and clinicians incorporate yoga into modern healthcare?

The idea here is that practitioners engage patients in their own care to optimize their health.

One example, is the Sunnybrook Academic Family Health Team’s Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors program. Participants are guided through a therapeutic yoga practice, which includes meditation and relaxation; participants also learn about yogic philosophy. This is coupled with education from an occupational therapist about falls prevention, home safety, energy conservation and advanced care planning. After seven weeks, most participants report an improvement to their balance; they also report feeling more motivated, calmer, stronger, satisfied and more aware of their bodies and their breath.

Last year, our family health team partnered with the Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto (AST) to pilot a yoga and nutrition program for people with dementia and their care partners. Participants were guided through gentle chair yoga and mindfulness practices and learned straightforward nutrition tips from a dietitian. Participants reported similar positive results and we’re now looking to offer therapeutic yoga classes for caregivers to help manage their stress.

Given the successes we’ve seen from these programs, we are now planning a pilot research project to measure the effect of therapeutic yoga on the balance, mobility and other quality of life indicators of older adults.

For those in the area interested in yoga and its potential health benefits, please contact Ingrid Wirsig for more information at 416-480-6942 or email ingrid.wirsig@sunnybrook.ca.

The post Best of both worlds: Integrating the ancient practice of yoga and modern healthcare appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Check out some tips below and start spring off with a new routine! (Tips from the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines)

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Let’s get moving.

Tips for adults age 18-65

• Aim for 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity per week.
• Your 150 minutes can be broken into 10 minute chunks.
• Include both muscle strengthening (ie. push ups, climb stairs) and bone strengthening exercises (ie. yoga) at least twice times per week.
• If you haven’t been active in a while, speak to your health-care provider. Start with low intensity (like a walk) and go slow.

Moderate intensity versus high intensity

• Moderate intensity will make you sweat a bit and breathe a little harder. During this activity you should be able to talk but not sing. Images cycling and walking.
• Vigorous intensity will cause you to sweat and be out of breath. You probably won’t be able to talk too much. Images basketball player and runner.

Tip: If you haven’t been active, start slow. Try parking further away from the main doors or get off the bus a stop early.

Physical activity provides many benefits

• It improves mental health, fitness, and strength. Images heart, arm muscle and brain.
• It reduces your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis and more. Images needles, heart monitor, ambulance.

Info from Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. www.csep.ca/guidelines

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Answer: If you’re like most people, you spend too much time on your bottom. Many of us sit for much of the day at work and, when we come home at night, we plop down in front of a TV or some other screen. Scores of studies have found that this sedentary lifestyle is taking a huge toll on our health, contributing to the development of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic illnesses.

But an intriguing study, published last year in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that it’s not just the total amount of sitting time that’s the problem. Rather, it’s how long you remain inactive at a stretch that seems to make things worse.

The study involved 8,000 middle-aged and older adults.  On average, they sat for 12.3 hours over a typical day. During four years of follow-up, 340 of the participants died.

When the researchers did a deep dive on the numbers, they discovered that the volunteers who normally kept their sitting to less than 30 minutes at a time had a 55 per cent lower risk of death than those who tended to sit for longer stretches.

“Even though two people may sit for the same amount of time throughout the day, the one who sits for longer bouts has a greater risk of premature death,” says Dr. Keith Diaz, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University in New York.

The results of the study suggest that taking a “movement break” every half hour mitigates some of the negative effects of the sedentary time, he adds.

So, Dr. Diaz advises us to get up and move every 30 minutes. “It doesn’t matter what type of movement you do,” he explains. “A nice casual stroll down the hall is enough to lower some of the risks incurred by sitting.”

The researchers aren’t sure why shorter bouts of sitting appear to be less harmful than extended inactivity. But they have a few theories.

For instance, it’s possible that prolonged sitting leads to elevated blood-glucose levels. “If you are inactive, your muscles don’t need energy to move,” he says. As a result, sugar isn’t removed from the blood stream “causing a cascade of changes” that may lead to various health problems – including increasing the risk of diabetes.

What’s more, sitting for a long period causes blood to pool in the legs, which may over time stress blood vessels and undermine the cardiovascular system.

Dr. Diaz is quick to say that he is not a fan of so-called standing desks – the current office furniture fad meant to counteract the deleterious effects of sitting.

“Unfortunately, there is not really much scientific evidence to support the claim that standing is a better alternative to sitting,” he says.

“You’re not moving so you are not activating your muscles much,” he adds. “Standing is not the same as exercise.” In fact, prolonged standing could actually be bad for you because it also causes blood to pool in the legs.

For that reason, he believes movement breaks are the real antidote to sitting – and other experts agree.

“Your body is designed to be mobile,” says Dr. Murray Waldman, a hospitalist at St. John’s Rehab, a division of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

“There is absolutely no downside to it. Even if you have arthritis or another chronic pain condition, it is still better to move.”

Of course, not everyone has the job freedom to get up and go for a walk.  But doing things like contracting your leg muscles, pointing your toes up and down, or other stationary exercises may help. “The trick is to keep your calf muscles activated,” says Dr. Waldman.

Outside the workplace, it’s also important to take regular movement breaks in your spare time.  Planting yourself in front of a TV after consuming a big dinner might be even worse than a day of inactivity at your place of employment.

At least at work, you may occasionally get up to speak with a colleague, go for a cup of coffee, or walk to a meeting. At home, there may be nothing motivating you to rise from the couch – other than to get a snack from the kitchen.

So, how do you remind yourself to take a movement break? Get yourself a timer, or use your smart phone, and set an alarm to go off every half hour while you’re awake. This approach won’t be practical in every situation, but it might help nudge you in the right direction some of the time.

After all, every minute that you move contributes to your overall health.  Adults should aim for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

It used to be thought that you had to exercise for a minimum of 10 consecutive minutes to reap any health benefits. But many experts now say that even isolated bouts of activity are good for you.  

“Whenever you have an opportunity to move, do it,” says Dr. Diaz. It all adds up.

The post How “movement breaks” can reduce the health risks of prolonged sitting appeared first on Your Health Matters.