Don't sit still

Nutrition Action Healthletter, April, 2005

It's not just exercise, but other movement (standing, walking, talking, fidgeting, etc.) that keeps some people lean. For 10 days, researchers tracked the posture and the movements made by 10 lean and 10 mildly obese people, all self-proclaimed "couch potatoes."

The results: the big potatoes stayed seated for about 2 1/2 hours longer per day than the small potatoes. That means the obese group burned about 350 fewer calories a day--a difference that translates into 33 pounds a year.

Alas, it's not so easy to change. For two months, the researchers put seven members of the obese group on a diet (they lost 18 pounds) and overfed the lean folks (they gained 9 pounds). Losing or gaining weight made no difference in how much either group moved, sat, or stood.

What to do: If you're overweight, keep moving. Walk rather than ride. Don't sit when you can stand and keep moving when you have to sit. Move to the music from your car radio. Lift weights or do sit-ups while you watch TV, etc.

Science 307: 530, 584, 2005.