▎WuXi AppTec Content Team Editor
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine will be announced soon,
“Too much sitting doesn’t mean less exercise.”
This is the idea put forward in research by Professor Marc Hamilton of the University of Houston. Even while sitting, people can expend a lot of energy to help manage their weight and prevent and improve symptoms such as obesity and diabetes.
In the latest research, Professor Hamilton has discovered the ultimate weapon for weight loss in sitting – the soleus, the flat muscle on the back of the calf, from the knee All the way to the heel. The soleus muscle only makes up about 1% of your body weight, but if you activate it properly, your metabolic rate can be boosted significantly.
▲Confirm the location of the soleus muscle (Image source: Reference [1])
Researchers have created a technique called the Flounder Push-up (SPU) that can lift a portion of the body in hours, according to new research published in iScience oxidative metabolism to a very high level. And in the whole process, the source of energy consumed by soleus muscle is very complex, and the glycogen consumed by routine consumption only accounts for a small part, and many come from blood sugar and fat.
Because of this glycogen-independent exercise, people can effortlessly exercise the soleus for hours without getting tired . “There is often a limit to muscle movement and endurance through glycogen depletion,” Professor Hamilton said.
We usually use the soleus muscle when standing and walking, and the so-called soleus push-up is to use this muscle as much as possible. The method is also very simple, as shown in the animation below, when you sit with your feet in a relaxed state, then lift your heels, and your toes still need to stay close to the ground.
When your heel reaches the limit, the muscles in your calf will feel tense and stretched, and then you will automatically relax and put your heel back on the ground. This completes one SPU.
▲Simple movement instruction that anyone can learn (Image credit: University of Houston)
Think about it, is this behavior a bit like when you walk? The same is also true of the forefoot, lift the back heel and walk forward. But walking and sitting and lifting your heels are two completely different things. When walking, your body is actually trying to help you save effort, which is to reduce energy consumption as much as possible.
The SPU is the other way around, straining the soleus muscles. “This movement looks simple, but it’s actually a complex movement that even requires some wearables to help with the best results,” explains Professor Hamilton.
▲Exercising the soleus muscleImprove the body’s metabolism (Image source: University of Houston)
As the volunteers continued to participate in the SPU exercise, the researchers continued to monitor changes in physiological parameters. SPU compared to sitting stillThe level of fat and carbohydrate oxidation was greatly increased, more than doubled.
Correspondingly, the soleus region also consumes more oxygen, even higher than during running.
The study tested how the volunteers’ bodies responded after drinking a glucose drink, with a 3-hour period of exercise. As can be seen, their blood sugar fluctuations improved by 52%, their average insulin requirements were reduced by 60%, and the insulin drop persisted after 3 hours of SPU exercise.
▲Studies have determined from multiple metabolic levels that moving your feet can increase your metabolic rate and prevent many diseases (Image source: Reference [1] )
Completing the SPU exercise during the fasting period between meals directly doubles the fat metabolism rate and results in less fat detected in the blood . The study pointed out that SPU is not a new fitness technique or diet control method, but a truly effective physiological exercise.
Imagine sitting in the office for seven or eight hours at work. Sitting for too long increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic disease. Now, you have an extremely simple way to prevent these troubles and even burn off excess energy.
“You can easily double, or even triple your body’s carbohydrate metabolism by moving your soleus muscle.” Professor Hamilton said this may in the future reduce the risk of metabolic disease minimalist treatment.
References:
[1] Marc T. Hamilton et al, A potent physiological method to magnify and sustain soleus oxidative metabolism improves glucose and lipid regulation, iScience (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci. 2022.104869
[2] Researcher discovers a muscle that can promote glucose and fat burning to fuel metabolism for hours while sitting. Retrieved September 22, 2022 from https:https://medicalxpress.com/news/ 2022-09-muscle-glucose-fat-fuel-metabolism.html
