[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] Walking and moving things all day long at work, even taking more than 10,000 steps a day, may not replace real exercise. Pharmacist Jian Shimin pointed out that the latest comprehensive analysis published in "Lancet Public Health" tracked more than 4.2 million people and found that leisure exercise can reduce the risk of dementia by about 24%; in contrast, strenuous physical work in the workplace is associated with a 20% increase in the risk of dementia. She reminded that the key may not be "whether you move or not", nor does it mean that labor itself will hurt the brain, but it is caused by mechanical repetitive work, low work autonomy and environmental pressure.
Are people who sweat and work every day healthy or unhealthy? Jian Shimin posted an article on the Facebook fan page "Jian Shimin | Pharmacological Poems" and the website. As early as 40 years ago, the World Health Organization defined: "Physical activity" as long as muscle contraction consumes calories, such as patrolling the house, carrying dishes, and moving goods. However, "exercise" must have a plan, structure, and pace, and must be for the purpose of improving physical fitness. Therefore, work activities lack the "progressive load" and "complete rest" that are indispensable for training.
Please read on...
Jian Shimin further explained that the latest comprehensive analysis published in "Lancet Public Health" and tracking more than 4.2 million people also found that leisure exercise can reduce the risk of dementia by about 24%; physical labor in the workplace is associated with a 20% increase in the risk of dementia. However, this does not mean that labor itself will damage the brain. Researchers say that high-effort work is often accompanied by mechanical repetition day after day, low work autonomy and environmental stress. These factors invisibly weaken the cognitive reserve of the brain, and therefore may be related to a higher risk of dementia.
3 reasons why work and labor cannot replace exercise
Why is it difficult for work to replace exercise? Jian Shimin sorted out the following 3 possible reasons, including:
●Lack of structured recovery: Exercise means taking a break after practicing, while labor means low-intensity chronic wear and tear of up to 8 hours, and muscles and blood vessels are in a state of micro-inflammation all day long.
●Continuous static burden on the cardiovascular system: standing for a long time, bearing weight, or holding your breath forcefully will cause high blood pressure for a long time, and the heart will not be able to obtain intermittent elastic relaxation.
●Psychological pressure of losing control: You can stop at the gym at any time when you are tired, but in the workplace the rhythm is entirely determined by supervisors, customers and production lines. Stress hormones will directly offset the benefits of activities.
Walking thousands of steps and standing for long periods of time at work ≠ real exercise
Jian Shimin also pointed out that walking ten thousand steps a day and standing for long periods of time are two major myths, because the physiological signals received by the autonomic nervous system and the brain are completely different from the ten thousand steps taken by tense nerves at work and the ten thousand steps taken by relaxing in the park. In addition, studies have found that standing for more than 2 hours a day not only has no cardiovascular protective effect, but also significantly increases the risk of varicose veins and embolism in the lower limbs. Therefore, standing for a long time does not mean health.
5 major working groups complement the movement to do this
Jian Shimin said that for different working groups, the following key points can be grasped to supplement daily exercise:
●Sedentary people in the office: Get up and move around every hour to break long periods of sitting. Training can focus on the core and posterior muscles of the body.
●High step count dynamic group: For example, those in the medical and field service industries, whose daily step count has reached the standard, extra exercise can be replaced by low-pressure relaxing walking or swimming, and resistance training can be arranged to protect joints.
●Those who stand for long periods of time: such as cabinet brothers, chefs, etc., it can strengthen the circulatory extension of the lower limbs, exercise the hips and core, and reduce the compensatory burden on the lumbar spine.
●Heavy laborers: such as construction site, transportation and logistics workers, should not blindly increase high-intensity aerobics. High-quality sleep recovery is the first priority. Training should focus on stretching and correction of specific damaged joints.
● Housework and repetitive labor: Such as cleaning staff and housewives. Housework is mostly a chronic burden on specific small muscle groups. Regular training of large muscle groups throughout the body is required to balance long-term labor imbalances.
Jian Shimin emphasized that the relevant research is not to deny the value of anyone’s labor, but to remind all people who are exhausted from work and housework that they must also pay attention to the importance of good rest in daily life.
