Creativity helps desk workers stay active, fit

During the workday, Twinkle VanWinkle often sits at her desk, doing online editing and production work for Angie's List. She wasn't much into exercising either when she got home, but rather cooking and helping with her daughter's homework.

She's changed.

The 36-year-old Indianapolis woman now regularly works up a good sweat every weekday, keeping pace with personal trainer Kelsey Taylor's fast-paced boot camp and tackling weights and cardio machines in the fitness facility there.

"It's a challenge for me, but I look forward to it," says VanWinkle, who is proud of her 50-pound weight loss. "I have more energy in the afternoon and it makes me want to be more active. I take belly-dancing classes and play on the company softball team."

For people like VanWinkle who have desk jobs, it's especially critical to infuse physical activity and movement into their days.

Workplaces can encourage that by offering classes or providing fitness facilities, but local fitness experts say people can plug activity into busy days with a little creativity, time and effort.

New evidence has been found that prolonged, unbroken sitting time is related to people's risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, says research presented at the last annual meeting of the Indianapolis-based American College of Sports Medicine.

That's true of sitting at work, sitting on the couch, sitting in front of your computer or television. Just sitting.

Even among active adults who participate in 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on most days, a researcher at Australia's Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute has found large amounts of television viewing time were still associated with poorer blood fat and blood glucose levels. Researcher Genevieve Healy says people who stand up and simply move around more have healthier metabolic health than those whose sitting time isn't broken up.

"What you're trying to do is minimize the harm you are causing by having a day, sitting job," says Andrea Wilson, physical therapist at Methodist Sports Medicine/The Orthopedic Specialists.

When you sit at a desk, Wilson says your head is forward, shoulders are slumped and rounded and your chest is inward, so your muscles become shortened. "It's mechanically inefficient. You are unbalanced."

Moving gets your blood flowing, improves circulation to your body and to your brain and restores balance to your muscles.