There is no question that exercise is one of the best defenses against certain diseases and ailments that can afflict the human body. However, exercise must also be coupled with healthy living when one is not exercising. This obviously includes eating well and getting plenty of sleep, but it also includes not sitting too much.
From working at a desk job to watching too much TV, modern humans sit for a large part of the day. Runners are not necessarily different from the rest of the population. A recent study had runners fill out a detailed questionnaire on their sitting time along with their training intensity. Of the 218 participants in the study, the median reported training time was 6.5 hours per week, and that median total sitting time was 645 minutes on workdays and 480 minutes on non-workdays.
These results show that distance runners can be both highly physically active and highly sedentary. The authors suggest that, in order to accurately gauge the healthiness of a person’s lifestyle, researchers should not only look at physical activity, but also the sedentary activity of individuals. Therefore, instead of allowing yourself to sit for hours on end between runs, try to get up a walk around a little. Your body will thank you.
