As to Movement
Last year’s message about movement emphasized exercise, so this year’s will summarize those points and highlight other crucial aspects of physical (in)activity.
Exercise. Only 25% of us receive the substantial health benefits that come from following the recommended 75-150 minutes of weekly aerobic activity and twice-weekly muscle-strengthening sessions. This standard does not require excessive time, a personal trainer, a gym, or infomercial fitness equipment. Brisk walking and body weight (push-ups, yoga) exercises fit the bill.
Exercise beyond the recommended level may satisfy a desire for accomplishment, but does not meaningfully improve your wellness (the 80/20 rule). Bench-pressing twice your body weight lengthens your life span only in the event of the zombie apocalypse.
In fact, how well you can sit and rise from the floor is an excellent predictor of lifespan. You do not train specifically for the sitting-rising test, but your exercise routine should develop the strength, balance, and flexibility necessary to sit-rise with no or minimal assistance. Ironically, an “average” person with a higher score has a lower mortality rate than a marathon runner with a lower heart rate, a higher VO2 max, but a lower sit-rise test score.
Sedentary. Our typical life activities tend toward the sedentary, which leads to miserable health consequences – a higher risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. Convenience is the culprit. We eat take-out food to spare meal preparation, deploy Roombas to evade vacuuming, and drive to the school pick-up line and wait thirty minutes to escape a ten-minute walk.
Running four miles on the treadmill does not overcome the damage caused by marathon sitting sessions. Prolonged inactivity increases the likelihood of early death regardless of other physical activity.
Fortunately, the solution is as simple as the culprit – do not remain stationary for more than thirty minutes. Last year’s story about my great-aunt, Zia Maria, is a great example of how simple movements can contribute to excellent health. Take mundane actions (such as using stairs instead of an elevator, standing/walking during phone calls, etc.).
Both Sides of My Mouth?
Ironically, a sedentary activity can help avoid poor health outcomes. That is, you must sleep at least seven hours per night, but one-third fail to get it, even though sleep deprivation is associated with diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, depression, etc. Delayed REM sleep, a mark of poor sleep, is linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s.
No one will applaud you for sleeping eight hours; in fact, people idolize those who can accomplish a great deal on little sleep. However, Elon Musk, who bragged about not sleeping while building Tesla, now admits that the lack of sleep made things worse, rather than better. Those like Presidents Trump and Obama, who operate on little sleep, may be among the capable 1% short sleepers.
Last year’s public admission concerning my poor sleep shamed me into action. After years of cajoling from my family and anxiety about what better sleep might require, I began tracking my sleep with a fitness app. I discovered that modest, determined effort yielded powerful results.
I started going to bed a half hour earlier and resisting the temptation to rise as soon as I stirred. My average sleep time improved by one hour per night. I have not reached my goal, but my energy level is higher, I rarely get sleepy during the day, and the memory lapses that I attributed to early-onset seniority virtually disappeared. Here are some other suggestions.
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Like sensible consumption, movement does not require extreme effort but consistent, purposeful activity coupled with necessary rest. You do not measure its effectiveness by the image in our gym mirror selfie, but by the ability to get the Christmas decorations from the attic.
