Many people struggle with getting enough exercise to stay healthy and maintain a healthy weight.   Our days are often consumed with commuting, working behind a desk, doing school work, eating, watching TV or working on a computer.  If anything, our society is moving even more so in this direction as much of our leisure time is taken up with technology and screen activities.    For those of us who do exercise, we hope that our 30-60 minutes of exercise 3-5x per week will be enough to stave off the ravages of sitting too much.   Unfortunately, those faithful exercise sessions, although better than nothing, are probably not enough to do the trick.   

One reason for this may be the need to increase levels of Lipoprotein Lipase in our blood stream.   Lipoprotein Lipase is increased when we use our leg muscles.  This protein is responsible for grabbing onto triglycerides in the blood and transporting them to the cells to be used for energy.  When the levels of Lipoprotein Lipase fall the triglycerides in the blood get stored as fat instead of used as fuel.    It appears that the levels of Lipoprotein Lipase fluctuate throughout the day depending on our level of activity.  Therefore, getting up and moving around every 30 minutes may make a difference in the way triglycerides are utilized in our bodies.  If you move around every 30 minutes in addition to your regular workout, you may stave off some of the ravages of our modern sedentary lifestyle.

Attached is a great article about the research behind this finding and the importance of frequent activity throughout the day.

http://www.drlenkravitz.com/Articles/movemoresitless.html