Annabel and I spend a lot of time walking….. and talking about walking….. talking of which…… come and join us when we talk together about Annabel’s book The Walking Cure on June 17th. Details are at the end of the post. Oooooh AND while I was writing this, The Walking Cure hit the Number 1 spot on the Sunday Times bestseller list – so exciting!
Back to walking which we know, of course, helps us age well. But what if there was something even better for our health and longevity than going for a 30-minute walk?
10 squats
Hard to believe, I know, but bear with me. A study has shown that doing 10 body weight squats every 45 minutes controls blood sugar better than a single 30-minute walk. The Chinese/Finnish research team looked at people who were sitting for eight and half a hours each day (that’s most of us). They measured:
- Uninterrupted sitting for 8.5 hours (SIT)
- One 30-minute walk (ONE)
- 3-minute walks every 45 minutes (WALK)
- 10 squats every 45 minutes (SQUAT)
Both the WALK and SQUAT strategies reduced blood sugar spikes compared to sitting all day. And they reduced the spikes twice as much as a single 30-minute walk. Although, as Annabel pointed out to me, a 30-minute walk is much nicer and more social than squatting!
Our greedy brains
Regulating blood sugar is a key pillar of longevity, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and frailty. Stable blood sugar leads to lower inflammation, better mitochondrial function (the batteries of our cells) and slower ageing. It’s also key for good brain health.
Our brains are extremely metabolically active – they’re very greedy, in other words – using around 20% of the energy we consume. They crave stable glucose availability and good insulin sensitivity. Mismanaged glucose leads to spikes and crashes which impact focus, memory and mood – and can trigger the brain fog so many women tell me they experience.
Feel the burn
So what are squats doing to help manage all this? It comes down to lactate – a molecule produced when the body breaks down glucose for energy. It’s the same thing that gives you a ‘stitch’ after running or walking too fast, or creates that ’burn’ when you exercise. It tells muscles that it’s time to pull more glucose from the bloodstream, so they soak it up and take it out of circulation. Squats activate big muscles like the glutes and quadriceps, and doing just 10 is enough to produce lactate and turn those muscles into glucose sponges.
There’s also a nifty way to keep muscles soaking up glucose even when you’re sitting. It’s called the soleus push up. 2022 research from the University of Houston found that working the soleus – calf – muscle while sitting leads to more than 50% reduction in post-meal blood sugar spikes, lower insulin usage and lower triglycerides. And it’s so easy to do. Sit with your knees at 90 degrees and lift your heels as high as you can with your toes still on the floor- as I’m doing in the picture above. Simple to do while you’re working, on calls or watching TV – it all counts!
Healthy life expectancy
Researching these straightforward techniques to help us age well, it saddens me that – in reality – healthy life expectancy (HLE) here in the UK is declining. Health Foundation research published last month found it’s fallen by two years in the last decade. We all want to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible, but HLE in the UK is now just 60 for both men and women.
As I reach that milestone birthday later this year, I’m doing all I can to beat the odds (I realise I speak from a position of good health and privilege here). The UK is one of only five of the richest 21 countries in the world to see a decline. A spokesperson for the Health Foundation said, “The UK has the highest levels of obesity in western Europe and there has been a surge in mental ill health”. I know it’s a naive hope, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if doctors could prescribe simple actions like heel raises and squats for all?
JOIN US ON WEDNESDAY JUNE 17TH 7pm
Join us at Waterstones in Putney, London SW15 for a wellness evening! We’d love to see you.
We’ll investigate the surprising effects of landscape and location on our health and moods, and why walking for happiness is the best step forward we can make for ourselves. And we’ll share lots of tips for walking well, ageing well and how a simple stroll can improve brain health.
See you there!
Susan
It would be a wonderful way to lessen the burden on the NHS!
I always very much look forward to your posts – a mine of healthy info 🙂
Re the squats. It says 10 every 45 minutes. Does that mean: 10 squats, then rest 45 mins before the next set? Seems a huge gap!
Wishing you well..
I have moderate mobility issues, reading about 3 min of walking could help with everything makes me feel more hopeful that I can accomplish this level of exercise, I already do the foot raises for the calf’s!
Thank you!