Administrative Assistant's Update

AUGUST 2017 2 E D I TO R ' S N OT E George Pearson If sitting is bad for you, what is good? We know now that prolonged sitting is associated with increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. We're also learning that physical ac- tivity can lower that risk, and research- ers are studying how that relationship works. At the Institute for Work and Health, Dr. Aviroop Biswas is zeroing in on this issue. In 2015 he completed a meta-analysis (an analysis gleaned from a number of relevant studies) focused on the extent to which sed- entary lifestyles are associated with health risks. It was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and was named one of the most influential ar- ticles that year by the American Heart Association's Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health. His research looked closely at two groups of people: (1) "active couch potatoes," who met a recommended regimen of 150 minutes of moderate- intensity physical activity a week but otherwise were relatively inactive; (2) people who did little or no exercise. The study found that for active couch potatoes the risk for mortality from all causes was 30 per cent lower than for the people who did little or no exercise. The research team also found that prolonged sitting was linked to . . . • a 91 per cent increase in risk of Type 2 diabetes. • a 15 per cent higher risk of cardio - vascular diseases and associated diseases. • 13 per cent higher risks of cancer and cancer deaths, specifically cancers of the breast, colon, uterus lining and ovarian epithelial cells. Why is this happening? A main hypothesis among research- ers, says Biswas, is that sitting for long periods makes our body's metabolic system less efficient because we're not firing the skeletal muscles associated with our posture. Does standing while working make a difference? Yes, to a degree, Biswas says, but calisthenics and walking around the office for a few minutes every hour seem to give "a greater metabolic boost." You can't go wrong with regular ex - ercise, he says, which if you do enough of it "might even completely reduce the risks of sedentary behaviour." Would now be a good time for a stretch and a walk? Administrative Assistant's Update is published once a month by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Director, Media Solutions, Canada: Karen Lorimer Publisher: Todd Humber Editor: George Pearson george@adminupdate.ca Associate Editor: Jennifer Lewington jennifer@adminupdate.ca EDITORIAL OFFICE (519) 271-6000 Administrative Assistant's Update Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 1 Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 CUSTOMER SERVICE (416) 609-3800 (800) 387-5164 FAX (416) 298-5082 (877) 750-9041 customersupport.legaltaxcanada @tr.com Contents copyright. All rights reserved. © 2017 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Contents may not be reproduced without written permission. Brief extracts may be made with due acknowledgement. Annual subscription: $189. Publications Mail Registration No. 40065782 GST# 897176350 UPDATE Administrative Assistant's Vaillancourt is winner of AAP award The Association of Administra- tive Professionals (formerly the Association of Administrative Assistants) has named Katherine Vaillancourt recipient of the Linda Bates Award of Excellence. "She has worked tirelessly over the last year in every facet of her role with the Association as well as beyond the confines of that role," said retiring AAP president Jackie Pontin in presenting the award. "She is an exceptional role model for all admins and their peers." A seven-year member of AAP, Vaillancourt has been active as a member of the national board, organizing the organization's pa - per records and helping develop a new website. "Her knowledge of managing large corporate budgets in her real job benefited the associa- tion immensely as we started down the exciting road of financ- ing the rebranding the associa- tion," Pontin said. Katherine Vaillancourt

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