Do groove move

Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well. ~Marcus Valerius Martial

Many years ago I heard Chuck Swindoll lightheartedly assert, “The problem with life is that it’s so daily!” I amen that as I often tire of the mundane everyday. And yet, I remind myself that every day is gift, and that the things we do in our blessed everyday matter.

Take movement, for example.

A recent large prospective study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (July 22 online) found that the longer you sit, the shorter your life span.

Here’s the study write-up in U.S. News Health online:

“The authors of the study analyzed responses from questionnaires filled out by 123,216 people (53,440 men and 69,776 women) with no history of disease who were participating in the Cancer Prevention II study conducted by the American Cancer Society. Participants were followed for 14 years, from 1993 to 2006.

In the study, people were more likely to die of heart disease than cancer. After adjusting for a number of risk factors, including body mass index (BMI) and smoking, women who spent six hours a day sitting had a 37 percent increased risk of dying versus those who spent less than three hours a day on their bottoms. For men the increased risk was 17 percent.

Exercise, even a little per day, did tend to lower the mortality risk tied to sitting, the team noted. However, sitting's influence on death risk remained significant even when activity was factored in. On the other hand, people who sat a lot and did not exercise or stay active had an even higher mortality risk: 94 percent for women and 48 percent for men.

Study lead author Dr. Alpa Patel, an epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society, said that the obvious reason for the connection is that "the more time you spend sitting, the less total energy expended and you can have consequences such as weight gain and increased obesity." And that affects your metabolism as well as risk factors for various diseases, she said.

But there could be other biological factors beyond simply getting fatter that explain the link. There's a burgeoning literature evolving around "inactivity physiology," Patel said. When muscles, especially those in the legs, are "sitting," they stimulate or suppress various hormones which then affect triglycerides, cholesterol and other markers for heart and other diseases, she explained.”

These are good reasons to DO more often than sit. Everyday.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield has been preaching the health benefits of moving your body for years. Since the start, I’ve enjoyed their do-groove campaign and dance commercials. Check out their “do” web pages for some good ideas [I especially like their piece on positive thinking and weight loss – the same suggestions can apply to getting your body moving, simply substitute “movement” for “food” and “exercise” for “diet”)]; and for a smile, rewatch the do-groove commercials, or download the do-groove song for ringtone.

But in addition to merely reading about ideas to move, maybe purpose now to be active in a simple but fresh way? Summer is a grand time to do and groove more. Possibly walk or bike to work, park farther away, stand and stretch or jump or dance during a break from sitting while watching TV or doing desk work, weed or harvest a garden, wash windows, hike a trail, swim or ski, clean and chop vegetables, or go to a wedding dance and actually dance.

It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor. ~Marcus Tullius Cicero