Ren Ecosystem. This Exercise You Can Do At Your Desk Can Burn Fat and Steady Blood Sugar?

5 min read//

I’ll confess: I’m guilty of parking it in front of my laptop for hours on end without so much as a stretch. When I’m deep in work, I just can’t be bothered (it’s a bad habit I’m trying to break). I’ve scoffed at chair exercises as something way too easy to make any difference for me. But apparently, I missed the memo: A recent study shows that one little movement you can do while sitting at your desk—so discreet you can do it on Zoom meetings without anyone even knowing—can boost your metabolism and improve blood sugar regulation. A Soleus Pushup, AKA, a seated calf raise, is so simple you can do it in your sleep, making it a no-brainer for habit-stacking with your Zoom meetings. Here’s what you need to know about Soleus Pushups and whether they check out.

What Is a Soleus Pushup?

Often the unsung hero in the leg muscle line-up, the calf is what keeps us on our feet, from standing and walking to running and jumping. It’s made up of two muscles, including the soleus muscle, which runs from just below the knee to the heel and consists of fatigue-resistant, slow-twitch muscle fibers that allow us to stand, walk, and run for long periods of time. Despite the fact that it’s only one percent of your body weight, the small but mighty soleus muscle can improve metabolic health if activated correctly.

Dr. Marc Hamilton, professor of Health and Human Performance at the University of Houston and the study’s lead author, coined the Soleus Pushup (SPU), or lifting and lowering your heels while seated, which activates the soleus muscle differently than when standing or walking. The SPU targets the soleus muscle to increase oxygen consumption (a higher oxygen consumption generally means a higher metabolic rate)—more than what’s possible with other types of soleus activities.

How Does It Work For Your Metabolic Health?

It might sound too good to be true, but the science backs it up. The research suggests that the Soleus Pushup can keep your metabolism elevated in a way that helps manage blood sugar even better than exercise, weight loss, and intermittent fasting. When the Soleus Pushup was tested, the whole-body effects included a 52 percent improvement in blood sugar regulation over three hours after ingesting a glucose drink.

Muscle biopsies revealed that it takes little energy to power the soleus muscle (though it makes up only one percent of your total body mass, it burns half as many calories per minute as walking). Instead of breaking down glycogen, which is usually the main type of carbohydrate that fuels muscular exercise, the soleus can use other types of fuels like blood glucose and fats. “When activated correctly, the soleus muscle can raise local oxidative metabolism to high levels for hours, not just minutes, and does so by using a different fuel mixture,” Dr. Hamilton explained in an article. “The soleus’ lower-than-normal reliance on glycogen helps it work for hours effortlessly without fatiguing during this type of muscle activity, because there is a definite limit to muscular endurance caused by glycogen depletion.”

In other words, the soleus muscle doesn’t tire easily because it uses less glycogen for fuel, allowing it to work for long periods without running out of energy. The soleus acts like a “metabolic booster” because it burns energy steadily for hours without tiring, and that ongoing energy use helps regulate blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, and increase total daily calorie burn, all of which support weight loss and metabolic health.

So Does It Actually Work?

Of course, there’s a catch: The study’s participants weren’t just doing a few Soleus Pushups here and there, but rather spending up to 270 minutes (4.5 hours) raising and lowering their heels with only short breaks. That said, the findings demonstrated better blood sugar response even after one hour of SPUs. Though not a substitute for your regular workouts, Soleus Pushups are low-risk (and free!), and might help offset some of the downsides of sitting for too long. Sneak in multiple short bursts of them throughout the day—think 10 to 15 reps every hour—and team them up with your usual walks and strength workouts to get the most bang for your buck. If you’re sitting for an extended period of time anyway—be it at your desk or on a plane—why not potentially support your metabolism while you’re at it?

How to Do a Soleus Pushup

Sit in a chair with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor, toes pointed forward.
Push your toes into the floor as you lift your heels.
Hold for one to two seconds, pressing down on the balls of your feet.
Lower your heels and repeat.

This article appeared in theeverygirl.com (https://theeverygirl.com/soleus-pushups/).