Staying Healthy

Don't Sit On This!

Mary Rains, MLHS

When you read this, hopefully you’re sitting down. Because if you haven’t heard, there’s a new disease on the radar in the online healthy living communities. It’s called “Sitting Disease.”

There’s a new area of medical research called Inactivity Physiology which looks at all the ways our sedentary lifestyles affect our health. The buzzword “Sitting Disease” was coined because of the many ways inactivity and our technology-driven lives have made us slaves to the seat. The driver’s seat, the seat of your office chair, the seat at the kitchen table, the seat on your living room sofa – more and more, we are finding ways to sit and do things instead of move around to get things done.

A growing body (no pun intended) of research in many countries is showing that when you have long periods of time in which your body doesn’t move much, your risk of developing such problems as diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer goes up.

“Sitting Disease” is an epidemic in our high tech world. When you don’t move, your body starts to slow down metabolically, which slows circulation, burns fewer calories, and turns down the enzymes needed to burn fat. The less active you are, the less sugar your body uses; enzymes that keep those blood fats stabilized aren’t working; and there is less oxygen headed to your brain. What this translates to is a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and depression.

If you think because you’re stuck in an office environment; or believe you have to have expensive equipment in a home gym; or need to get to a health club every day, you’re wrong, says Patrick Coomes, Physical Therapist at MLHS. “Walking during lunch or coffee breaks, for 20 to 30 minutes at a time, can help control weight, increase endurance and perk you up.”
Coomes says that even walking around your office or your chair every 20 minutes can help control back pain, reduce fatigue from poor posture and improve body mechanics.

Integrate activity throughout your day.

Here are some ways you can still get the blood flowing and the muscles moving – even if you do have a sit-down job.

Stand in your office while you talk on the phone.
Take a walk around the block while you’re on that call.
Make it a point to drink a glass of water and walk around your building once an hour.
Don’t send an email, go to your colleague’s office, and then suggest you stroll while you talk.
Stretching bands are cheap, so get some and bring them to the office.
When something stresses you out, take a break and stretch.

Finally, talk to your co-workers about creating a whole-day approach to exercise at work. Encourage one another with good ideas. One of those good ideas is to join the Mille Lacs Community Wellness Challenge this summer. In each participant packet, you’ll find even more ways to do simple stretching exercises at your workspace that don’t require any special equipment. To join, visit any of the MLHS clinics or click to Register online.

Connecting the farm to the table

And while you’re thinking about eating healthy, make sure you visit our local Farmers’ Markets. At both Onamia and Isle, you can get vegetable plants, in-season fruits and veggies, maple syrup, honey, jams, farm fresh eggs, locally raised meat, baked goods and lots of other items grown and raised close to home.

Buying at the Farmers’ Markets not only benefits your local economy, but the food is more nutritious because it does not have to go through travel, distribution and middle men, which causes the fresh factor to go down with every day it’s not on your table or in your fridge. Buying direct also is a “greener” way to purchase your food. It tastes better and its shelf-life is longer.

A relationship between the Mille Lacs area local growers and Mille Lacs Health System allows dietary manager Shaye Vensel to buy from local sellers. “MLHS is going to continue doing business and building relationships with local growers through the purchase of the freshest produce,” Vensel said. “We’re now in our third year of partnering this way and we provide approximately 400 meals a day. So having the freshest seasonal food available right in our own ‘backyard’ brings the food quality up to a level we strive for with all our patients and staff.”

The Onamia Area Farmers’ Market is open every Friday 3-7 pm on Hwy 169 next to the overpass. Isle Farmers’ Market is located in just east and adjacent to the bakery in town, and is open Saturdays from
9 am-1 pm.

The Mille Lacs Community Wellness Challenge

We're deep into the Mille Lacs Community Wellness Challenge

and Danna Woods, Registered Dietician for Mille Lacs Health System, answers some questions about healthy eating with fruits and veggies.
Q: If I eat a salad, how many servings of vegetables would that be?
Click here for the answer, and more!

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