Healthy Communities of Clinton County Coalition and Indiana University Health encourage you to get up and move to maintain or improve your health. Conditioning yourself to move more may require you to start with small steps.
On average, we spend more than half our waking hours sitting. Research shows that even if we regularly go to the gym, sitting for long periods of time can still be harmful to our health. Long periods of inactivity can lead to increased health risks, including obesity, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.
Moving more each day helps prevent these risks. Researchers recommend breaking up every half hour in your chair with one to three minutes of activity. Incorporating some of the following habits into your day can help achieve this goal:
- Set a reminder on your phone to move every 30 minutes.
- Take the stairs when possible.
- Take a short walk after meals.
- Park in the back of the parking lot.
Even small amounts of movement can help with weight loss and improve energy. Interrupting the sitting time with activity, your muscles become better engaged and help give your bodily functions a boost. The muscle activity required to stand up helps energize your metabolism by triggering the processes that break down sugars and fats. Start by setting small goals for the first week, like aiming for 15-20 minutes less of total sitting time and gradually work to improve from there.
There are over 20 recommended routes to walk in Clinton County, including an easy 2 mile Christian Ridge Historic District walk starting at Harrison and Walnut streets, near Old Stoney in Frankfort. Learn more by downloading a free trail map at healthyclintoncounty.org/feature/obesity/.