Learning Challenge: Couch Potatoes
For this week's learning challenge, I felt like it would be a good idea to do some reading in the "H" category of Health/Happiness since it's been a rough couple weeks and I think I need to invest in self-care this spring break. So, why not begin a little early?
I read an NPR article titled "Get Off The Couch Baby Boomers, Or You May Not Be Able To Later", which talks about how sitting for long periods of time can actually affect your ability to walk. That summary definitely scared me, so I felt like I had to read more to find out if it was too late for me already!
What is at least one thing that the article CONFIRMED for you that you knew already?
I already knew in my gut that spending long periods of time on my butt wasn't the greatest for my health, but I had no idea that the consequences were so severe or so directly tied to sitting and watching TV. Since both of my jobs are in offices and require working at a computer, and I spend most of my other time in class, working on homework, or watching TV, I sit a ton! Knowing now that sitting for so long everyday could put my ability to walk later in life in jeopardy has definitely changed my perspective on just how harmful it is to sit for long periods of time.
What is at least one NEW thing that you learned that you did not know before?
One thing I didn't know was that even just standing up every thirty minutes can be really beneficial and help negate the effect of sitting all day for work. I assumed that it didn't really make a difference if I stood up for a second since I was sitting for so long, but the article says that even just moving about for one to two minutes every once in a while can lower your risk of decreased health later in life because of prolonged sitting.
What is the one thing you are now CURIOUS to explore and what are you going to do in order to act on that curiosity?
I read an NPR article titled "Get Off The Couch Baby Boomers, Or You May Not Be Able To Later", which talks about how sitting for long periods of time can actually affect your ability to walk. That summary definitely scared me, so I felt like I had to read more to find out if it was too late for me already!
What is at least one thing that the article CONFIRMED for you that you knew already?
I already knew in my gut that spending long periods of time on my butt wasn't the greatest for my health, but I had no idea that the consequences were so severe or so directly tied to sitting and watching TV. Since both of my jobs are in offices and require working at a computer, and I spend most of my other time in class, working on homework, or watching TV, I sit a ton! Knowing now that sitting for so long everyday could put my ability to walk later in life in jeopardy has definitely changed my perspective on just how harmful it is to sit for long periods of time.
What is at least one NEW thing that you learned that you did not know before?
One thing I didn't know was that even just standing up every thirty minutes can be really beneficial and help negate the effect of sitting all day for work. I assumed that it didn't really make a difference if I stood up for a second since I was sitting for so long, but the article says that even just moving about for one to two minutes every once in a while can lower your risk of decreased health later in life because of prolonged sitting.
What is the one thing you are now CURIOUS to explore and what are you going to do in order to act on that curiosity?
I'm curious to explore standing up and being more active, for sure, if that counts as being curious or exploring! A fire has definitely been lit under my butt and I'm going to try to not sit on it for too long each day now (lol). I'm now really motivated to be more mindful of how long I sit each day, and in cases where it's unavoidable to sit for a long period of time (ie: work), I'm going to try to more frequently stand up to just walk around, go to the bathroom, or get a drink of water.
I don't want to be a couch potato anymore!
(Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay)
Comments
Post a Comment