Breaks from screen time help your heart
If you spend your work days in front of a computer and then go home to watch TV or surf the Web, consider this: New research suggests too much continuous screen time can be bad for your heart.
But you don't need to swear off "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and Facebook to give your body a boost. Just make sure you take breaks.
Brain and body
"It's always a good idea to not be sitting in one position for a long time for the arthritic and circulatory benefits," said Dr. Louise Spadaro-Siegel, a cardiologist and director of the Cardiac Outreach Program at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn. "And getting up does help you to mentally refresh your brain and refocus."
Being sedentary hurts our bodies in a variety of ways, said Dr. Mark A. Goodman, a Garden City cardiologist. "It's allowing fat stores to build up, allowing muscle tone to deteriorate and causing the blood to pool in our legs so that when we try to exercise, we stand up and get lightheaded."
A study released online in January in the European Heart Journal found that people who sit around for long periods, even those who exercise regularly, show signs of having worse cardiovascular health. Their waists are larger, their levels of good cholesterol are lower, and they have higher triglyceride levels.
STAND AND DELIVER
But breaks seemed to improve heart health. Experts suggest holding meetings standing up, walking to see colleagues instead of calling them, and using restrooms on different floors from your work space.
When watching TV at home, use commercial breaks as excuses to get up and walk around. If you use a computer a lot, consider software programs that remind you to stretch on a regular basis.
Grimmer news about the health hazards of screen time has come from another new study. The Journal of the American College of Cardiology reported in January that people who spend four or more hours in front of screens - using computers, watching TV or playing video games - are more than twice as likely to suffer from major heart problems than are people who spend less than two hours doing such things. Exercise did not appear to improve the results.
What to do? Try multi-tasking. "You can walk on a treadmill and watch television," Spadaro-Siegel said. But if you absolutely need some downtime, she said, make sure you change positions, munch healthy snacks and drink plenty of liquids.
Karen Pallarito contributed to this article.
