Tuesday 15 May 2007

Fidgeting!


Apparently, scientists at the Mayo Clinic in America have claimed that you can lose weight by exercising at work. An article on the BBC website describes one journalists attempt to work while at the gym - rather humorously!

While I wouldn't recommend physically doing office-bound work in a gym, it reminds me of something my ex-husband once told me. At 5'9" and never weighing more than 10 stone in his life, he revealed that the secret to being slim was being a 'fidgeter'. During our spell together, I must say that I never saw him doing anything physically exerting..well unless you count pressing buttons on a keyboard! Yet, he managed to keep a 30" waist and defined physique. Confused? Yes, so am I - particularly as his diet consisted of fry-ups and takeaways.

So...how does one develop this habit which was ground out of the majority of us at a tender age? It may seem odd but I've been working on this habit...weird trying to encourage a bad habit to take hold I must say! I've started shaking my legs and tapping my feet at every available moment! While I probably look like I'm suffering withdrawl...it could be worth it, couldn't it?

A 2005 Washington Post article seems to back up my ex's fitness claims. The Mayo Clinic conducted a detailed study of mundane bodily movements found that obese people tend to be much less fidgety than lean people and spend at least two hours more each day just sitting still. The extra motion by lean people is enough to burn about 350 extra calories a day, which could add up to 10 to 30 pounds a year, the researchers found.

James A Levine, who led the research published in the journal Science said: "There are these absolutely staggering differences between people who are lean and people who are obese. The amount of this low-grade activity is so substantial that it could, in and of itself, account for obesity quite easily."

So, maybe looking like an addict going cold turkey isn't so bad if it helps me not only get to my goal, but to stay there!

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