Want to hear a crazy statistic? An article in the Washington Post shared that “the average U.S. adult sits 6.5 hours a day.” People might not realize it, but a number of adults spend way more time sitting down than they do standing up or even sleeping. Incredibly though, experts have found that the ill effects of sitting for lengthened periods of time could actually be mended in as little as four seconds. Sounds crazy, right?
According to a study in a Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal, there are actually valuable advantages and benefits that one can get from tiny pocket workouts. Simply explained, doing a few reps of exercises every few hours throughout the day can already do a world of wonders for your health.
In order to prove this point, a group of researchers enlisted eight men and women to participate in a study. They had all eight adults spend the day seated on chairs, only to stand up in order to use the bathroom or to eat. The very next morning, they had the participants take in a high-fat breakfast shake consisting of melted ice cream with half & half milk, being sure to monitor their metabolic responses.
Then on another day, the researchers enlisted the participants once more, again having them sit all throughout the day. However, the difference this time around was that they required the volunteers to sprint as quickly as they could on a stationary bike for just four seconds at every hour – also requiring them to take 45 second breaks before having to repeat the sequence five times in a row. Again, they were required to take in the same breakfast shake the next morning. But when they monitored their metabolic responses after the sprints, their rates had completely changed.
Aside from burning more fat during the second go about with the sprints, the researchers also found that their blood triglyceride levels were an incredible 30% lower, both before and after the sprinting sessions. In other words, by breaking up the hours of sitting with intense yet powerful and short explosions of exercise, the momentary sets of movement managed to make a huge impact on the negative effects of being sedentary most of the day.
While there are still a number of limitations that can be observed in the study, the lead author, Dr. Ed Coyle, who also happens to be a professor of kinesiology and health education, shares that despite the shortcomings of the study, it still proves that the particular efforts still manage to make a difference, most notably for those that work from home.
He explained, “When you find yourself sitting for most of the day, try to rise frequently and move, preferably intensely, as often during the day as possible and for as many seconds as you can manage.”
So if you find yourself sedentary more often than not, try to find an intense 4 second exercise you can try at home. You might be surprised to find out just how useful they are after all.
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