Lower BMI With Sleep, Not Screen Time
Replacing 30 minutes of inactivity with sleep or exercise provides health benefits.
A half-hour may make all the difference when it comes to improving body mass index. Encourage clients to swap out inactive time for sleep or light- to moderate-intensity exercise to lower BMI.
An international research group found that replacing 30 minutes of television time, for example, with sleep or light physical activity was linked to lower BMI levels. Substituting moderate to vigorous exercise for 30 minutes of inactivity was associated with lower blood pressure and lower BMI. The study shows that small lifestyle changes may lead to meaningful improvements in heart health.
The research appeared in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2021; 53 [4], 724–31).
See also: Sleep Hygiene Is One Key to Health
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
