From the Desk of a Doctor Newsletter
So, if you sit all day…
Well, you might want to look at this study:
Researchers took 12 adults that completed three 7.5-hour conditions:
🔹 SIT: Uninterrupted sitting (likely your workday?!)
🔹 SQUAT: 15 body-weight squats every 30 minutes
🔹 WALK: 2 minutes of walking every 30 minutes
Results:
✅ Muscle protein synthesis:
• Squats ↑ 29% vs. sitting
• Walking ↑ 48% vs. sitting
✅ Squats boosted rpS6 phosphorylation (7.6x vs. 1.6x in sitting) - a marker of protein synthesis and muscle growth
✅ Prolonged sitting sharply reduced activity (people got~2,100 less steps/day), impairing muscle repair
Takeaway:
It’s already well known that prolonged sitting impairs metabolism of sugar and fat in even otherwise healthy individuals and sets you up for conditions that eventually lead to diabetes, vascular, and heart issues.
Even short “exercise snacks” — a few squats or quick walks — help muscles stay anabolic throughout the day.
So, step away from the desk! Rep out a few squats or walk for just 2 minutes, and for extra bonus, send this your coworkers, maybe they’ll join you :)
— Dr. Myro Figura
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About the Author
I’m Dr. Myro, a board-certified doctor and med school educator who somehow ended up with over 6 million followers watching my science videos on
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and Facebook.
I’ve published 60+ scientific abstracts and even written a book, but this newsletter is my favorite project. Here I get to share the good stuff — simple, actionable health tips delivered twice a week. Happy to have you here.
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