no more than two hours of structured exercise weekly.
The researchers asked the volunteers to cut their activity drastically. They dropped an average of just over 100 minutes a day, the researchers share.
After two weeks of couch potato life, the study volunteers underwent a battery of testing. These results were compared to findings measured when the study started.
Bowden Davies says cardiorespiratory fitness levels dropped by 4% in just two weeks.
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Waist circumference rose by nearly one-third of an inch. Liver fat increased by 0.2%. Total body fat went up by 0.5%. Insulin resistance increased and triglyceride (a type of blood fat) levels went up slightly.
Fourteen days after resuming activity, these measures all bounced back, the investigators found.
“Even subtle increases of inactivity can have a positive effect on health. Moving more and breaking up sedentary activity is encouraged,” Bowden Davies adds.
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Dr. John Osborne, an American Heart Association spokesman, says this was a very interesting, and somewhat surprising, study. The findings validate the advice he gives his patients. “If you can be a shark or a turtle, be a shark — always moving. This study showed you can lose the benefits of exercise very quickly, but the good news is
