Get moving and sit less for a healthy liver

Keeping active and exercising daily will aid in your overall health and the liver by minimizing fat accumulation and lowering your chances of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease.

Adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week, such as cycling, hiking, or playing doubles tennis and limit their idle time. Our metabolism slows down when we sit for long periods, which negatively impacts our body’s ability to control blood sugar, blood pressure, and fat breakdown.

Working at a desk, watching TV, eating, reading, and traveling by bus, train, or car all count as sedentary time. Many folks spend more than 7 hours per day sitting or lying down. According to a recent survey, middle-aged males (45-54 years old) spend 7.8 hours sitting down on average every weekday. Adults over 75 years of age were found to be sedentary for an average of 7.4 hours each day. It has been argued that modifying work habits could be an excellent place to make a positive change.

Here are some ideas for reducing sedentary behavior at work:

• Set a phone reminder for every 30 minutes to go for a quick walk or burst of activity.
• Take the stairs.
• Set up a laptop on a box or something similar so you can work while standing.
• Meet up with a co-worker for a walk.
• Every time you get up to get a drink or use the restroom, take a walk around the building.
• Fill your water bottle at the water fountain that is the farthest away.
• Get yourself a step counter to make sure you’re getting in at least 10,000 steps per day. Set a step count challenge with a few co-workers to motivate each other to be active.