Active life
Friday 19 August 2011
Pilates’ instructors are very keen on core strength, well managed movement and using the right muscles for the right purposes.
A New Zealand Principals’ Association newsletter has the following advice for all Office or screen bound.
The Perils Of Sitting
Do you make it a point to exercise regularly and remain active throughout the week, when the majority of your school day is spent sitting in a desk chair? A recent study found that people who sat for longer than six hours a day were at risk.
Here are some startling facts.
We spend 8.5 hours a day in front of screens.
Across most age groups, we spend almost nine hours a day sitting in front of the TV and computer, using mobile devices like cell phones and watching movies.
Only about 30% of us do the recommended thirty minutes of moderate physical activity five days a week. In fact, 40% of people don’t engage in any kind of regular exercise at all.
Sitting inside so much puts many of us more at risk for skin cancer because of a lack of vitamin D which we need to fight skin cancer and many other problems. The only way to get a sufficient amount is through proper diet and plenty of sunshine.
Constantly sitting makes our bodies wider.
Not surprisingly, too much sitting, as well as our liking for fatty and sugary food and big portions, invariably leads to weight gain. That could be because sitting for long periods of time causes the metabolism to slow down and therefore break down fats and sugars less
effectively.
Fidgeting is a good thing.
The more you move, be it pacing or wriggling in your seat, the less likely you are to gain weight. Scientists studied the actions and tracked the calorie intake of both fat and thin people for a period of time. They found that the thin participants tended to fidget more, which meant that they burned more calories. Even tapping your foot under the desk works: it’s a movement that continuously activates leg muscles without requiring much energy or thought. Try to stand up and stretch or walk around at least once an hour. Don’t sit hunched over your keyboard all day. Use your breaks for a brisk walk (no dawdling to the next class!) and some fresh air.
The more chances you take to move and to move quickly, the less your risk of being made unhealthy by sitting for far too long every day.
Acknowledgement: Vicki Santillano
Schools have long been careful to ensure that students ‘move’ and have as active a life as possible. So often our own adult activity is an important role model for our children. Often exercise is a very personal and often thoughtful activity and not necessarily in teams, gyms or organised groups. Whatever we do it needs to
be useful and an enjoyable part of every day.