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Doing one simple exercise while sitting down may have serious health benefits, one man on TikTok has revealed.
Austin Heyrend, as user austinheyrend596, shared with his followers that doing seated calf raises can help lower blood sugar levels, all because of one small muscle.
The muscle is called the soleus, he explains. While it only makes up 1 percent of body weight, it plays a very important role in blood sugar management. When exercised, it pulls glucose and fat from the bloodstream, rather than pulling local glycogen for fuel.
These low-impact exercises enhance circulation, improve glucose utilization and help offset sedentary behavior, all of which support better outcomes in diabetes management,” explains Diabetes in Control.
A 2022 study published iniScience reveals that the benefits of seated calf raises, also known as soleus push-ups, are optimal because they can raise local oxidative metabolism to high levels for hours without fatigue, even in participants who are unfit.
This means that essentially any individual can reap the benefits of this isolated exercise.
Experts have concluded that it is not even necessary for people to engage in the exercise for extended periods of time, though it would be feasible for them to do so.
Antigravity Muscle
According to Verywell Health, interrupting prolonged sitting with three minutes of calf raises every 30 minutes can contribute to a 26 percent reduction in insulin response.
The soleus muscle itself is found on the back of the leg, running from just below the knee to the heel. The muscle has also been associated with maintaining upright posture, due to its role as an antigravity muscle.
The muscle is often strengthened through walking, running and leaping, though, according to Heyrend, studies have shown that calf raises are more beneficial than walking for the soleus.
“They actually found that while walking does help and can help in these situations, it’s using the entire leg as this movement isolates the soleus, which is a blood sugar-hungry muscle,” the TikToker revealed.
On TikTok, many viewers were fascinated by the major response that this simple exercise can invoke.
“So being a chronic leg bouncer has been, unknowingly, beneficial for me,” wrote one incredulous pundit.
“Who else instantly started to do seated calf raises,” asked another, who took part in the exercise.
Rocking Wellness
Others chimed in with their own theories about how the health benefits of certain practices may have been previously overlooked.
“Remember when people used to sit on their front porches in their rocking chairs for hours… they usually lived a very long and healthy life,” one curious commenter said, pointing out that the motion of rocking on a rocking chair engages the soleus muscle.
For office workers and others who spend long hours sitting, this development may be a simple way to stay healthy throughout the day. While it does not take much effort the benefits of seated calf raises can have major benefits for health and wellness, all from the comfort of your couch.
Newsweek has reached out to austinheyrend596 for comment via TikTok and the study author for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.
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