Commuting
long distances to work, for studies, for travel, etc., is a daily
routine for many. It is certainly monotonous for a majority of the
people. But recent studies have shown that commuting for a long time
affects health greatly. Is it not enough that there are enough
problems of obesity due
to over-eating and non-exercise, without the additional burden of it
increasing due to long periods of parking oneself in one place
and traveling in such a position all that way?
This
sedentary position of being placed for extended periods suggests an
almost zero- level of physical activity. This can badly affect the
cardiovascular health; increase the riskof obesity and give a negative
result to your efforts for weight loss.
Your cardio-respiratory
fitness will suffer too.
Before
proceeding further, it is necessary to know a few terms relevant in
this context. They are as given below:
Body
Mass Index (BMI) also
called Quetelet index:
It is an indication of the fat present in the human body by taking
into consideration the individual's weight and height.
BMI=
[Weight in pounds/ (Height in inches)2
] x 703
When
BMI> 25, it implies that the person is overweight and when BMI >
30, the person tends to be obese.
Fasting
Triglycerides:
Here, blood tests for triglycerides; usually a part of a lipid
profile ,
to know whether the patient has a risk of developing heart
disease are
done.
Fasting
Plasma Glucose (FPG): It is
also called the fasting blood sugar test. Here, diabetes is diagnosed
through measurement of blood sugar levels.
High-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol:
Generally, higher levels of HDL-C imply low risk to cardiovascular
diseases and
vice versa.
Waist
Circumference: A high Waist
Circumference (WC) implies an increased risk for diabetes,
hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. (Source: National
Institutes of Health).
The
American Journal of Preventive Medicine has published in its monthly
June 2012 issue, an article about the details of the research done on
4,200 volunteering residents who lived and worked in the American
metropolitan areas.
Along
with the following factors, viz. body mass index (BMI), waist
circumference, fasting triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose,
high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, blood
pressure participation over the previous three months in
moderate physical activity, the distances commuted by these
people were calculated. It
was found that those people that commuted the farthest distances to
work had a considerably higher body mass index, wider waist
circumference, higher blood pressure and lower physical activity.
When the commutation distance to work was more than fifteen miles a
day, the commuters were at risk of being obese and were even less
likely to meet recommendations for physical activity. For a
commutation distance of more than ten miles, there was a strong
likelihood of the commuters being associated with high blood pressure
and lesser chances of loss of weight. The commuters that traveled the
most were also found to have higher stress- levels.
In
today’s world, many children and adults have grown habituated to
watching television for extended periods of time without breaks or
with breaks after very long intervals. On the basis of the above
studies, the researchers concluded that the same results could well
be applied for these people who watched television extensively.
And
remember, you can always get more natural health advice, the latest
alternative health breakthroughs and news, plus information about
nutrition, alternative remedies and cures and doctors health advice,
all free when you sign up for the Bel Marra Newsletter. Visit
http://www.belmarrahealth.com
now to find out how to start your free subscription.
No comments:
Post a Comment