“Wiggle While You Work: Fidgeting May Fight Fat”

So I rather suspected this was true but it is reassuring to hear an article on NPR about how important fidgeting is to weight gain/loss.(And I think the actual audio article had more detail, but it’s not online yet.) The key part of the article is that recent “findings suggest that making small changes to daily activities — by tapping your toes, wiggling or otherwise expending more restless energy — could be critical to weight loss.”

Of course this isn’t a novel concept or anything, as with some little research I found several other articles focused on this same idea of fidgeting and some on the exact same study done at the Mayo clinic and with a lot more detail but released earlier this month (is NPR behind or something?).

Anyway, since weight management seems to be such a big deal, especially in our over-weight country, thought I’d just throw this up here and see if people are stimulated enough to write a few comments since this forum’s been so dead lately… not that I’m being transparent in my goals or anything.

3 Responses to ““Wiggle While You Work: Fidgeting May Fight Fat””

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Thanks for posting an innteresting article, Teisha, even if the effort seems to have fallen on blind eyes.

I’ve now forwarded this article on to a few people, as a justification for me being the way that I am. 😉

More seriously, though, I don’t think it’s surprising that people who are more “active” are better at weight management than more “passive” people. What is surprising is just how well you can quantitate that difference– and that some people are crazy! A treadmill desk?!?

Actually, come to think of it, I might actually enjoy that, assuming it was set to a moderate pace. I tend to do my best thinking while I’m on walks.

Too bad that the “cheapest treadmill”:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15280&item=7129649200&rd=1 i saw on eBay was going for like $250… otherwise (and barring my small apartment), I’d be tempted to give it a try!

Also, the image reminds me of “dinotopia”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060280034/qid=1106950845/sr=8-2/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-5127126-8689408?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 — the velociraptors on treadmills, because they can only think on their feet.

Paradoxdruid - January 28th, 2005 at 3:23 pm

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First off, dinotopia was a great book. Second off I know that some of this research has been around for awhile because it was discussed in my health and wellness class about a year ago. Its interesting to note how much enegry you can expend by just fidgeting. To think people are watching the carbs they eat when the could just wiggle their toes more.

Gilvoro - January 29th, 2005 at 8:45 am

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My girlfriend before Jenny (which was… um… ’99?) was fidgety and said that she’d heard the same back then. I could ask her about this new research, if we spoke.

Owen - January 29th, 2005 at 10:15 pm

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