3 Awesome Upsides to Being a Fidgety Person
See the scientific benefits of squirming around
If you’re a believer in tabata workouts, you already know a little bit of physical activity can go a long way.
We’re talking a really little bit. Tapping your toes or bouncing your knee won’t win you any marathons, but more and more research suggests fidgeting can actually make a noticeable difference in your health.
Consider these three fidgeting benefits a reminder to move more today. (Make 2017 YOUR year by taking charge of your health and jumpstarting your weight loss with the Prevention calendar and health planner!)
IT PROTECTS YOUR ARTERIES
Researchers at the University of Missouri recently found that fidgeting helps combat the reduced blood flow and artery function typically seen when you’re seated.
In the small study, 11 healthy people sat down for 3 hours, keeping one leg stationary and fidgeting the other for 1 minute at a time with 4 minutes rest in between.
“There was still some reduction in blood flow in the fidgeting leg, but significantly less than we saw in the stationary leg,” says study author Robert Restaino, a graduate research assistant at Missouri.
IT BURNS CALORIES
Not enough to skip the gym, of course. But your tendency to fidget does burn calories, according to a small Mayo Clinic study.
Scientists monitored the movement of 10 obese people and 10 lean people and estimated that a little fidgeting could shave off as many as 350 more calories a day than you’d burn if you could (somehow) sit still.
IT LOWERS YOUR RISK OF DEATH BY SITTING
More bad news about sitting: The acute effects Restaino and his colleagues study, like reduced blood flow, pile up over time.
“In the longer term, reduced activity and prolonged sitting result in a constant bombardment of low blood flow and poor vascular function, which can have detrimental effects,” Restaino says.
The most sedentary people have a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even earlier death. (Fight back with these 6 stretches.) The good news is that even if you’re stuck in a sedentary holding pattern, fidgeting can help.
In a recent analysis of data from a study of nearly 12,800 people, British researchers found an increased risk of dying due to sitting for 7 or more hours a day only among those who were categorized as low fidgeters. The middle and high fidgeters didn’t face any increased risk.
Related: 5 Signs You’re Not Getting Enough Vitamin D
The article 3 Reasons Why Fidgeting Is Actually Good For You was originally published by our partners at Prevention.com.
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