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Nov 23, 2012  |   
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Stand up for the holidays

Hamilton Spectator

We humans spend nearly every holiday time, at any season of the year, doing more sitting. This season, when major holidays are strung so close together, there’s even an extra amount of sitting. From work to dinner parties to sit-down chores like writing cards, people spend more time on their duffs.

It’s no wonder that afterwards, many people find their duffs have expanded. Clothes no longer fit as loosely. Even scales don’t reveal the real gain, because a pound of fat is much, much bigger than a pound of muscle.

However, the real problem is similar to the physical changes from working out. Just as one workout won’t do the trick because exercise has to be consistent; a few long sessions of sitting won’t hurt. But when they get consistent, with days spent at a desk, evenings spent at a dinner table and more time spent sitting in a vehicle, your body adapts. There’s no need for your body work harder to create energy, since sitting doesn’t require very much of it. Your metabolism slows down, burning less calories than usual. This comes at a time when people usually consume more calories than normal. Those calories that aren’t being used up by movement get stored — as pure fat. An extra layer of it gets stored all over your body, especially from the knees to the chest.

Which leads to a big question: is it possible to celebrate the holidays on all levels without having your metabolism slow down? Can you burn up some of those extra calories so they don’t layer your hips and butt?

The answer is YES. As you probably already know, more muscles are used to stand than to sit. Walking around uses even more muscle power. The very brief act of getting up from a seat sitting back down also burns calories.

The thing you want to get rid of is consistent sitting. Even if you only break it up once an hour, that’s enough to keep your metabolism up. While there may still be some metabolic slowing, it won’t be anywhere near as high, because you’re not allowing your body to completely adapt to the muscularly relaxed position of sitting.

Still, during social occasions and even during the workday, it’s difficult to remember to stand up and take a few steps around at least once an hour. So begin by picking a time to use as a reminder. It could be the top of the hour, the half, or any other big hand position on the clock. When that time comes, stand up, without using your hands to hoist yourself up. You can stand behind your chair and put your hands on its back. If you’re doing it at the office, walk outside, then back inside.

The period of standing or walking can be brief. What you’re doing is conditioning your metabolism to stay ready for instant energy needs. It’s like eating a small bit of food every hour to keep your metabolism revved up without needing the calories from three meals a day to do the same job. Just a little bit of exercise throughout the day will keep the calorie fires burning; and put a lot less strain on your buttons and snaps after the holidays.

Adventure Sports Weekly (adventuresportsweekly.com)

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