LeBlanc: Study shows that even marathon runners spend a lot of time sitting
Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot adds collegiate rivalry categories
Turns out even marathon runners can qualify as slugs.
A study by two researchers from the School of Public Health at the University of Texas at Austin polled 200 people registered for the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, asking how much time they spent sitting versus exercising. While they reported impressive amounts of time exercising, they also warmed a lot of chairs.
The runners exercised vigorously for an average of nearly seven hours per week. That's plenty more than the minimum of 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But they sat a lot, too — more than 10 hours on an average work day. That includes time sitting while driving to work, sitting in front of a computer at the office and sitting while watching television or playing video games. On non-work days, they sat about eight hours. That's a substantial chunk of the day spent being totally sedentary.
"The take home here is that you can be very, very active and very fit and still sit a lot," said Harold Kohl, a professor of epidemiology and kinesiology at the University of Texas and senior author of the study, developed by doctoral student Geoffrey Whitfield and published last month in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. "For many people, it's a wake-up call."
The verdict is still out on whether being a marathon runner and sitting a lot is particularly harmful, Kohl said. The study didn't measure the health of the runners it polled, only how they spent their time.
But marathon sitting sessions probably aren't good for you. Medical experts tell us that sitting during a long airplane flight can cause blood to pool in your legs, and some experts have linked flying with deep vein thrombosis, which can trigger blood clots in at-risk people.
"Fundamentally we're starting to see that people who sit more have a higher risk of dying due to heart disease and all-cause mortality. We don't know why that is, particularly if they're physically active," Kohl said. "It's a question that's being asked right now in the scientific world."
Kohl, by the way, helped create the first U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines, which were published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2008.
I'm one of those folks who exercises plenty but sits for hours on end when I'm at work. I asked Kohl if setting up my desk so that I stand, instead of sit, in front of my computer, or taking more breaks to pace around the newsroom, would help.
"If it makes you feel better, go ahead and do it," he told me. "Whether there's true longer-term health benefits, we still don't know."
What I do know is that people today lead a much different lifestyle than their ancestors did. Heck, even our grandparents (or great-grandparents) spent a lot more time walking and doing physical labor than most of us do. They didn't have automatic dishwashers or washing machines or electric mixers or vacuum cleaners, to name a few devices that keep us from expending a little muscle power.
"We've done a great job of engineering opportunities for physical activity out of our lives," Kohl said.
Turkey trot time
If you don't have a pilgrim or turkey costume for the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot this year, consider dressing in burnt orange or red and black instead.
The Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot is adding a collegiate rivalry to its Thanksgiving Day race, which takes place the same day as the University of Texas versus Texas Tech University football game.
Runners can sign up in the Longhorn or Red Raider category of the 5-mile run, which starts at 9:30 a.m. outside the Long Center for the Performing Arts, 701 W. Riverside Drive. (A Kids' K starts at 8:45 a.m., and an untimed 5-mile run and 1-mile walk start after the timed 5-miler.)
Austin's Turkey Trot — the biggest 5-miler in Texas — is expected to draw more than 23,000 people this year. Proceeds go to Caritas of Austin, a local nonprofit organization that supports Austin's working poor and homeless.
Online registration is open at www.thundercloud.com.
Do it. You'll feel better about that turkey feast you're bound to gobble up afterward. And look for me out there.