Fibro World

What's a bed potato?As Dot's driver, cook, dietitian, personal shopper and life coach, I read with horror the latest news from the scientists of the Karolinska Institute of Stockholm who propose redefining a sedentary life style. 

It's not just about sitting zombie-like in front of the TV or computer for four hours anymore. These scientists conclude that sedentary time should be defined as "muscular inactivity rather than the absence of exercise."

Sitting is deadly!

Who is more muscularly inactive than Dot, The Fibromyalgia Bed Potato, who cannot sit, stand or walk for more than a few minutes continually and therefore, lies in bed all day and night?

The study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine refers to a group of Australian adults that showed the rate of "metabolic syndrome" increased in women by 26 percent for each one-hour increase of TV watching.  It didn't matter if these women were also engaging in moderate to intensive exercising.

In other words, prolonged sitting could not be cancelled out with exercise.

Dot's extensive exercising (and really major accomplishment) has been working up to 11 minutes of uninterrupted walking around the house each day, except when she can't because of a migraine or severe knee, hip or back pain.  This crazy amount of activity is no match for metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome, like all other syndromes, is nothing you want to attract.   It is defined as having 3 or more of the the following factors:

• high blood pressure
• abdominal obesity
• high cholesterol
• or insulin resistance that translates into heart disease
• obesity
• diabetes
• cancer

Fortunately, the solution is rather simple for a change.  A person should get up every 45 minutes and walk around.  And this means you too, dear readers!  It's better to do little activities throughout the day rather than intensive exercise all at one time.

So, Dot, who takes 15 minutes rejuvenation breaks where she lies silently in bed with no distractions several times a day can leap out of bed after her rest period and take a short walk.  Well, perhaps not leap, since she can barely move her down comforter and three body pillows out of the way as it is. 

But, yes, as her anti-sedentary coach, I will see that metabolic syndrome is kept at bay.

Update on January 26, 2010 by Dot

This article was featured in Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds, a compilation of the latest and greatest health blog posts is up at Emeriblog.  Kim, an ER Nurse, has done a great job putting together an eclectic and entertaining mix.  This article is featured:

Fibro Mom has some advice for daughter Dot, who is dealing with repercussions from an MVA three years ago: Dot! Don’t Just Lie There, You Could Die — Well, Sort of…