Breaking Up Sedentary Behavior With Bouts of Yoga and Tai-Chi on Glycemia, Concentration, and Well-Being

Background:
Sedentary behavior (SB) is a major risk factor for developing chronic, non-communicable diseases. Interventions to mitigate these risks are needed.

Purpose:
Investigating the effects of breaking up SB with bouts of Yoga and Tai-Chi on glycemic control, concentration, and well-being in healthy individuals.

Methods:
A randomized balanced incomplete block study; 15 adults (age=26[2.50], 8 females) completed 2 of 3 protocols: uninterrupted sitting (Control), sitting interrupted with 3-minutes of Yoga every 30-minutes, or with 3-minutes of Tai-Chi every 30-minutes. Protocols lasted 7.5-hour. Glucose was measured with a glucometer. Concentration and well-being were recorded with self-reported questionnaires. Area under the curve (AUC) was calculated for glucose data. Statistical analyses were performed as a hierarchical repeated-measures model.

Results:
Glucose AUC for Yoga (34.55[3.12] mmol/L) was significantly lower than the Control (38.14[3.18] mmol/L; P< .05). There was a trend toward lower glucose in the Tai-Chi group compared with the Control, but no significant differences were found (AUCTai-Chi = 36.64[3.11] mmol/L; P= .57). Mean concentration in all groups decreased throughout the day, with the largest decrease in the Control. Well-being for the Yoga and Control groups decreased but increased with Tai-Chi. Concentration and well-being responses were not statistically significant between groups.

Conclusions:
Breaking up SB using 3-minute bouts of Yoga significantly lowers blood glucose in healthy individuals without compromising concentration or well-being. Tai-Chi did not provide the same significant effect on glucose levels but allowed better maintenance of concentration and well-being.

Practical implications:
This study is the first to demonstrate these effects using short bouts of Yoga/Tai-Chi, adding to the growing body of evidence that certain light-intensity physical activity, in short bouts, can mitigate the deleterious effects of prolonged SB. This contributes to current public health guidelines.

Funding:
No direct funding was provided for this investigation. Laboratory/room space/equipment was provided from Glasgow Caledonian University.