What happens to our muscles when we sit?
We know that spending long periods sitting is associated with poorer health. But what is actually happening in our muscles while we sit? New research has taken a closer look at muscle activity during everyday sitting. The findings suggest that muscle activity becomes progressively lower the longer we remain seated, adding to the evidence that breaking up prolonged sitting with regular movement is likely to be beneficial. Looking beyond whether we are simply sitting or moving Much of what we know about sedentary behaviour comes from devices such as accelerometers, which can tell us when someone is sitting, standing or moving – particularly when worn on the thigh. These measures have been important in understanding the health impacts of prolonged sitting, but they tell us less about what our muscles are doing while we are seated. A new study published in npj Exercise Medicine and Health, led by researchers in Finland and including BeUpstanding’s Professor Genevieve Healy, examined this in more detail. Participants wore specialised shorts containing fabric-based electromyography (EMG) sensors. EMG measures the electrical activity produced when muscles contract, allowing the researchers to detect relatively small changes in thigh-muscle activity during everyday life. Across three studies, the researchers examined…
