It’s a simple equation: moving = longevity

Move It!

I can tell you right now, you probably need to get your MET average up.

MET is an acronym for “metabolic equivalent of task,” which is a measurement of the amount of energy you use in one minute during a task. (It’s a little more complicated than that, but you get the picture.)

Right now, for instance, you’re probably sitting at your computer–an activity that’s equal to about 1 MET.

If you get up and walk to another part of your office or home, that will bump your MET up to about 2.

If you hit the deck and give me two dozen pushups–now you’re talking! That’s going to move up your MET to 8 or more.

Now, why do METs matter? Because if your average MET total is low, day after day, your risk of heart disease rises sharply.

But let’s say you exercise about a half an hour or more every day. That’s excellent. But believe it or not, you could still have a MET problem.

You might want sit down for this…

University of South Carolina researchers did something clever. They took an entirely new look at a study whose primary results had been used for decades to prove that raising MET average with regular exercise promotes good heart health.

But the study also included a small amount of data about sedentary activities. And the significance of that data had never been explored.

When the USC team compared time spent in sedentary activities along with time spent exercising and then matched those numbers with records of heart disease deaths, the results were surprising.

Men who spent more than 23 hours each week sitting (either in their car on in front of a television) increased their risk of death due to heart disease by more than 60 percent compared to men who sat for less than 11 hours each week.

Eleven hours of combined car and television time per week? That’s nothing! Back in 1982, when the original study was conducted, the average adult probably logged in 11 hours by Tuesday. And they didn’t even have cable TV or the Internet!

So you might want to sit down and brace yourself when you add up an estimate of your own average number of hours sitting per week. Is it high? If not, kudos–you’re a genuinely active person and that activity will help you live a long healthy life.

For the rest of us–and yes, I include myself (these e- mails aren’t written on a Stairmaster)–the prognosis is sobering. Because research shows that even if you get regular daily exercise, that won’t offset most of the effect of being seated and relatively inactive for several hours every day.

Don’t get me wrong–daily exercise does you a world of good. But to be genuinely healthy, you have to reduce couch time, then keep moving to get your average MET levels up.

So do some light exercises while watching TV. Get in the habit of walking or biking instead of driving when possible. If you work long hours in front of a computer screen, take frequent breaks to stretch and walk around a bit.

It’s a simple equation: moving = longevity.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Sources:
“Sedentary behaviors increase risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in men” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Vol. 42, No. 5, May 2010, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
“Phys Ed: The Men Who Stare at Screens” Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, 7/14/10, well.blogs.nytimes.com