Derrick Alger shares a brief presentation discussing how fidgeting can help individuals protect their health.

1. Protecting Health Through
Fidgeting
B Y D E R R I C K A L G E R

2. In this day and age, we do a
lot of sitting. If you are one of
the millions of Americans with
an office job, you are sitting
for several hours throughout
the day. However, office jobs
are not the only culprit. Those
who travel for extended
periods of time are forced to
remain seated on airplanes.

3. Those who enjoy watching
television may find themselves
starting a Netflix show then,
hours later, being riveted in
the same position.

4. A couple years back,
evidence was uncovered
concerning the harmful
effects of sitting. Remaining
seated was found to increase
risk of heart disease and
diabetes. This new
information brought on a
standing desk craze, however,
it has been found that
overusing standing desks is
also not good for health.

5. So, what is good for your
health? A recently published
study found that fidgeting
while seated may be your
best bet.

6. One of the immediate
dangers of sitting for
extended periods of time
concern the arteries in the
leg. Sitting restricts the
amount of blood flowing to
the legs, which heightens risk
of cardiovascular disease.

7. Researchers at the University
of Missouri wanted to know if
there was a way to offset
those negative effects when
standing is not an option.
Their reasoning was that
fidgeting would encourage
increased blood flow in the
leg. They did not expect it to
completely solve the arterial
problem, but they hoped it
would at least help.

8. The researchers tested the
leg vascular function of 11
men and women. The subjects
were made to sit for three
hours. Each participant kept
one leg still throughout the
entire study, and tapped the
other one at specified
intervals.

9. The subjects averaged about
250 foot movements per
minute. At the conclusion of
three hours, researchers
measured the amount of
blood flow in each leg of
each subject.

10. Sure enough, this fidgeting
increased blood flow in the
legs significantly, to a point
where it could help stave off
cardiovascular disease. Toe
tapping was indeed enough
to increase vascular health.

11. This is groundbreaking
information in a society in
which, a lot of the time,
people do not have the
option to take breaks to stand
up continuously during a long
period of sitting.

12. The researchers want to make
it clear, however, that
fidgeting should not be used
as a substitute for standing
and walking around when
breaks can be taken. Walking
or standing has more overall
cardiovascular benefits, and
is therefore better for you in
the long run. However,
fidgeting is a good alternative
in situations in which standing
is not permitted. As they say,
any sort of movement is better
than none at all.