bus travel
The easiest and cheapest way to travel, especially in Israel, is by bus. Long bus rides mean extended periods of time seated, often with poor posture. Sitting too much too often has been linked to multiple health concerns like high blood sugar, excess abdominal body fat, and increased blood pressure. In addition, research has shown that a few hours of exercise or physical activity do not offset the risk for these health issues after periods of extended sitting. The consensus among researchers is to continue to move as much as you can while you are sitting. If you are on a bus and cannot get up, move your body in other ways, such as the ones suggested in the Plane Exercises section. However, you can usually walk the aisles of a coach bus as long as you use the seats for balance. Stand and walk the aisles as often as you can especially on longer bus rides (over 4 hours). The impact of moving is enormous. Dr. Joan Vernikos of NASA discovered that a change in posture (sitting to standing) has the most beneficial impact on health. She recommends perpetual movement, which means any type of movement change such as sitting to standing or doing the seated movements found here. Such movement will help you burn more calories during these long bus rides, which can help with weight loss and increase your energy. In addition, the muscle activity required to stand and move helps trigger the processes that lead to the breakdown of fats and sugars. Sitting stalls these processes, and as a result your health risks increase. Once you stand or move, the processes kick back into action. One study found that brief (2 minutes) and regular activity interruptions (every 20 minutes) during periods of prolonged sitting can alter metabolic pathways that are involved in carbohydrate metabolism. These brief bouts of activity during extended periods of sitting will also lead to healthier skeletal muscles.
These tips to decrease the amount of time seated do not only apply only when you are traveling. You may find yourself seated often during the day, either while in class or relaxing and watching TV. A study found that someone who sits 11 hours or more per day has a 40% greater risk of dying within the next 3 years than someone who sits fewer than 4 hours per day. This study took physical activity and health status into account. While this study was conducted with people 45 years old and up, behavioral habits begin early, so why not start incorporating a healthy habit into your travel life? Another study observed the metabolic risk associated with people who met the physical activity guidelines of at least 150 minutes per week of moderately to vigorously intense physical activity yet had a sedentary lifestyle. The study found that the metabolic consequences of a sedentary lifestyle are adverse even among a population that is physically active enough to reduce its risk for chronic disease. In addition, fewer bouts of extended sitting can reduce the risk for young people of developing health issues later in life, including elevated insulin resistance and obesity. The recommended limit for sitting for 18 year olds is fewer than two hours a day of TV watching, computer, and video game use.
These tips to decrease the amount of time seated do not only apply only when you are traveling. You may find yourself seated often during the day, either while in class or relaxing and watching TV. A study found that someone who sits 11 hours or more per day has a 40% greater risk of dying within the next 3 years than someone who sits fewer than 4 hours per day. This study took physical activity and health status into account. While this study was conducted with people 45 years old and up, behavioral habits begin early, so why not start incorporating a healthy habit into your travel life? Another study observed the metabolic risk associated with people who met the physical activity guidelines of at least 150 minutes per week of moderately to vigorously intense physical activity yet had a sedentary lifestyle. The study found that the metabolic consequences of a sedentary lifestyle are adverse even among a population that is physically active enough to reduce its risk for chronic disease. In addition, fewer bouts of extended sitting can reduce the risk for young people of developing health issues later in life, including elevated insulin resistance and obesity. The recommended limit for sitting for 18 year olds is fewer than two hours a day of TV watching, computer, and video game use.
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Tip:
Staying in one posture for an extended period of time (sitting on a long bus ride, for example) can lead to low back pain, which results from a weakness or imbalance of various muscles. When you sit, your head and shoulders drop forward while your hip flexors and abdominal muscles shorten, which can lead to an over-tightened body. These exercises after long bus rides can help alleviate some of these aches and pains. |
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References
- Mayo Clinic. Sitting risks: How harmful is too much sitting? Available at http://www.mayoclinic.org/sitting/expert-answers/faq-20058005. Accessed on 6 February 2014.
- Latouche C, Jowett JBM, Carey AL, Bertovic DA, Owen N, Dunstan DW, Kingwell BA. Effects of breaking up prolonged sitting on skeletal muscle gene expression. J Appl Physiol. 2013;114:453-360.
- George ES, Rosenkranz RR, Kolt GS. Chronic disease and sitting time in middle-aged Australian males: findings from the 45 and Up Study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2013;10(1):20-8.
- Colley RC, Garriguet D, Janssen I, Wong SL, Saunders TJ, Carson V, Tremblay MS. The associations between accelerometer-measured patterns of sedentary time and health risk in children and youth: results from the Canadian Health Measures Survey. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:200-9.
- Owen N, Healy GN, Matthews CE, Dunstan DW. Too much sitting: the population-health science of sedentary behavior. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2010;38(3):105-113.
- Heart Foundation. Sitting less for children. Available at http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/HW-PA-SittingLess-Child.pdf. Accessed on February 2014.
- Katzmarzyk PT, Church TS, Craig CL, Bouchard C. Sitting Time and Mortality from all Causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(5):998-1005.
- Altenburg TM, Rotteveel J, Dunstan DW, Salmon J, Chinapaw MJM. The effect of interrupting pronlonged sitting time with short hourly moderate-intensity cycling bouts on cardiometabolic risk factos in healthy young adults. J Appl Physiol. 2013;115(12)1751-6.