Exercise keeps us fit, active and the release of endorphins boost and elevate moods. But what if exercise the benefits of exercise would be negated somewhat easily? A small but troublesome study recently conducted by scientists at the University of Texas reveals that people who sit for prolonged periods of time may not be getting all the benefits of an active life.
As part of the study, which was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, scientists gave two sets of instructions to 10 healthy and active graduate students. The groups of people were first asked to sit for a prolonged period of time -- about 13 hours -- without any exercise. They were then asked to do the same, but were additionally asked to exercise on treadmills for an hour. Researchers then measured glucose, triglyceride and insulin levels in the participants and found that there was no significant difference between those who exercised and those who did not.
The researchers were able to derive from the data that whenever people find themselves in a state of physical inactivity, it makes them “resistant” to any metabolic changes which they might get from exercise. This essentially means that the scientists were able to tell that the body was not being affected by the benefits of exercise, if the person had been sitting down for a long time.
“Being sedentary for long periods of time may create conditions inside our bodies that stop some of the good effects of being active and make us resistant to the usual metabolic improvements after acute exercise,” Edward Coyle, senior author of the study said to the New York Times.
While the study remains inconclusive, it has opened up a large number of questions about the ways in which people exercise and practice healthy, active lifestyles at present. For now, it is recommended that people take short breaks to walk around and even stand up on occasion when working.