You may have heard about the importance of getting up and moving briefly on long flights due to the health hazards of just sitting for long periods of time.
The concern has to do with something called Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT). When we sit for extended periods, it can incline some folks toward a clotting of the blood within the legs. A recent study in New Zealand confirmed this concern, and suggests that caution should be taken by simply getting up and moving to break up long periods of inactivity.
REDUCING DVT RISK - THE OCCASIONAL QUICK WALK AROUND
Residents in the Northern Virginia area are getting these long periods by virtue of all the commuting and traffic, but when at all possible, consider punctuating your “sitting” with a quick “get up and walk around” break. It’s especially important if your normal day involves lots of sitting.
There are many other benefits to this kind of movement as well. Some researchers who have looked at patterns of energy within the human body and have observed that many people go through a two hour cycle in which energy flow peaks and falls during this time frame. One way to manage those periods when your energy level is dropping is to simply move around.
There are lots of good reasons to take that occasional short break, and preventing DVT is just one.