Sedentary lifestyles pose a greater heart disease risk to women over 30 than smoking, obesity or high blood pressure, new health data from Australia has shown in a report in The Independent. Researchers said that the dangers of an inactive lifestyle were being underestimated and deserved to be a much higher public health priority. The Food Doctor says sitting for long periods of time causes a low metabolic rate in most people. The metabolic rate is the amount of calories used up by the body to maintain basic bodily functions so when it is low, extra calories taken in from food are not used for energy but instead are stored as fat. This is why people who sit for long periods of time are more prone to gaining weight. Just standing up or shifting your weight from side to side can double your metabolic rate for a short period. Exercise is the best way to increase your metabolic rate as the body has to work harder to make sure that all body cells are getting enough oxygen and nutrients. When a person embarks on a diet, generally the sudden reduction in food intake will automatically result in a lower metabolic rate as the body tries to preserve resources for the coming “famine”. This means that as soon as normal eating begins again, the metabolic rate is lower than before so less calories are used up and are instead being stored as fat. This is why drastic dieting usually does not work for very long and a person can often end up being bigger than before their diet.
Posted on: Sat, 10 May 2014 17:45:00 +0000
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