The past week has been an adrenaline-rushed week for Singapore! Our athletes certainly have performed admirably at the SEA Games, breaking record after record, and hauling in medal after medal. It was wonderful watching them unleash their passion and strength at their favourite sports.
I think their toned bodies give much to envy about, don't you think?
Fortunately, it's not just our athletes who have been working hard and sweating it out, but more Singaporeans are taking to active route to lead a healthy lifestyle. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of marathons, both local and regional and even international. There have also been more fitness facilities like exercise corners, which are in frequent use. Under HPB's Get Active, Anywhere, Anywhere programme, free workouts are available for the community and workplace. In the residential estates, it is a common sight in the mornings and evenings to see people jogging and exercising.
However, many Singaporeans still lead a sedentary life at the workplace, spending hours on their chair tapping away in front of their computers. You might spend an hour working out after or before office hours, but that's not going to make up for the hours of inactivity in between. Inactivity not only leads to weight gain, it also leads to aches and pains especially in the back and shoulders, as sitting is not a natural position for the body to be in, and contorting the body as such for hours on end is frankly cruel.
While sitting may not directly lead to weight gain, research does indicate that it leads to a bigger, fatter bum! The research came from a scientist who was researching on bed-ridden patients. He found that muscles at their buttocks shrink and break due to lack of exercise. Additionally, it was discovered that fat cells thrive on the inactivity and would infiltrate the muscle, causing fat to accumulate.
This is not only restricted to the bum, but other parts of the body. Examining the MRI scans of muscle tissues of paralysed patients show that lines of fat cells invade the major muscles throughout the body. According to Dailymail, researchers discovered that preadipocyte cells, the precursors to fat cells, turn into fat cells and produce even more fat when subject to prolonged periods of 'mechanical stretching loads' - referring to the weight we put on our body tissues when we sit or lie down.
The solution is honestly really simple. Get up and walk from time to time!
Set an hourly alarm, and when it goes off, get up, have a good stretch (you'll feel so much better), walk to the pantry to get some water or go to the washroom. Let your body enjoy at least 5 minutes of freedom in the normal upright position before heading back to work.
We know it's rather distracting to your colleagues to do complete workouts in the office, but you can still do something discrete like butt clenches to reduce inactivity in your bum. These are very simple to do and you can do them even when seated.
To do a butt clench, just clench your butt muscles as tight as possible (in the outwards direction). For maximum effectiveness, hold for at least 30 seconds while breathing normally, but this can be challenging for beginners, so do what you can, each time lengthening the duration and you'll eventually get better. Complete several repetitions throughout the day. Butt clenches may not help you to lose weight, but they prevent inactivity and consequently fat deposits.
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