Since we are into the busiest month of the year, you or someone you know may be tempted to let workout routines take the back seat. You may be wondering, in fact, how bad can it be, especially if you workout most of the time? Well, turns out, a break in your workout routine can be kind of bad. Fortunately, there is an easy upside!
In one recent study, cardio disease risk increased after a single week of sedentary behavior. These are the numbers that doctors and scientists use to measure the metabolic benefits of workout, as in, how healthy do we really get and is it enough to keep us from getting heart disease? The research indicates that just seven days without moving made a significant impact on HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. All training benefits were lost, according to the study including strength, body fat percentages, and weight) after 4 weeks.
While this is not the best news, a second study showed that as little as 10 minutes a day of moderate moving, sometimes called Reduced Exertion High Intensity Training, was enough to attenuate the loss of training benefits and cardio-metabolic benefits of more formal exercise. Will you get fit with 10 minutes of lower intensity moving? Probably not, unless you are starting from scratch. If, however, you must decrease your exercise time for a short season, you can modify a fitness routine down to a small bout of moving, and not completely lose your shape.
The big picture from both of these studies is that daily activity is a must for all of us in order to prevent big expensive diseases, and is significantly beneficial for the health of our entire nation. And, if you are so busy that this month means you have fired your trainer, do yourself, and the trainer, a favor and walk for at least 10 minutes, then book your sessions for January without regret.
The Health of the Nation Is at Risk
In addition to the threat of expensive diseases from a sedentary life style, there is also another health crisis in American that is receiving more coverage. Any person who has read or watched the news in the last few months cannot avoid the feat of the growing opioid epidemic in this country. From somewhat innocent beginnings of prescription use of Percocet, Vicodin and other medications, a growing number of Americans are slipping into a dangerous situation. Addicted to the relief provided by Percocet or another prescription, addicts are becoming increasingly risky in their efforts to ease their pain. And what may start as a real need for pain medication can become a devastating addiction that can lead to opioid use disorder, opioid dependence and addiction.
Taking more Percocet than is prescribed, patients can begin the fall down a slippery slope that can lead to loss of friends and family, jobs, and, sometimes, life itself. Many experts cite studies that indicate that changes to government recommendations and aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies have combined to create the dramatic increase in the last 25 years in prescriptions of oxycodone for long-term use in patients with chronic pain. In fact, the latest research indicates that as many as 2 million Americans each year are affected by prescription opioid misuse.
Humans are prone to addictive behavior. And while some are more susceptible than others, the fact is that if we are not careful we can become addicted to routines and behaviors that can take over our lives. And while there are some Americans who can literally become addicted to the high that they get from running and other fitness programs, there are others who find themselves craving far less healthy stimulants.
The latest frightening trends in addition to powerful pain medication has lead the health industry to more stringent regulations, but there are still ways that many people are able to get ahold of one Percocet prescription after another. Unfortunately, an addiction to pain medications obviously has the exact opposite effect of an addiction to working out. As the busiest of holiday seasons arrive, it is important to strive toward healthy habits that will prepare you for a new year that
is promising.
