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1

0:00/1:34

"If you're sedentary, that's not good for you. But if you are sedentary and fidget, then actually that does reduce your risk of long-term ill health," reveals Janet Cade, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Leeds, on a recent episode of the BBC's The Infinite Monkey Cage.

번역 보기
sedentary
오랫동안 앉아 있는
fidget
안절부절 못함,
nutritional
영양적
epidemiologist
역학자

Fidgeting is usually defined in dictionaries as moving or acting restlessly or nervously, but obesity expert James Levine, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic and president of the rare disease non-profit Fondation Ipsen, says it is better defined as a neurologically programmed rhythmic movement of a body part. He says "the fidget factor" is an outward manifestation of an innate impulse to move.

번역 보기
restlessly
불안하게
obesity
비만
neurologically
신경학적으로
manigestation
표시, 나타남
innate
자연스러운
impulse
동기, 충동

2

0:00/1:34

Worldwide, obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. Part of this is down to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work. Sitting for long periods is thought to slow the metabolism, which affects the body's ability to regulate blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as to break down body fat.

번역 보기
metabolism
신진대사

But growing evidence suggests that the impulse to fidget may help us unconsciously manage our weight by prompting us to move, a little like a vibration alert on a fitness tracker. If acted upon, these tiny movements can have a big impact, says Levine.

번역 보기
prompt
촉구하다
alert
경보
act upon
에 의거하여 행동하다

3

0:00/1:34

One small study measuring the energy expenditure of fidgeting-like activities in 24 people found that fidgeting while sitting can increase the amount of calories burned by 29% compared to lying down without moving. Fidgeting when standing, which Levine says tends to take the form of rocking or shifting from foot to foot, boosts the number of calories burned by 38%, compared to lying down.

번역 보기
expenditure
지출
rock
앞뒤로 왔다갔다하다
shift
이동하다, 바꾸다

"It's a little like the spark plugs of a car," says Levine, explaining the spark plugs are going when the key is in the ignition, but the car will only move if the driver presses down on the accelerator. In his analogy, the sparks are fidgets that occur no matter what, but choosing to respond to them – pushing the accelerator – unlocks benefits.

번역 보기
spark plug
점화 플러그
ignition
점화, 발화
analogy
비유

4

0:00/1:34

The finding is echoed in the animal kingdom. Scientists have noticed that songbirds, such as finches never seem to get fat, despite bingeing on seeds from bird feeders. This is because they unconsciously adjust how efficiently they use energy from food by changing their wingbeat frequency or singing patterns, says environmental biologist Lewis Halsey of the University of Roehampton.

번역 보기
echo
반복하다
songbird
명금, 우는 새
binge
과식하다
wingbeat
날개치기

"We need to remember that 'energy in' isn't what's shoved down the beak but what's taken up through the gut and then what's extracted by the cells; looking at it as just the amount of food consumed is too simplistic," he says. "And this goes for humans and other animals, not just songbirds."

번역 보기
shove down
밀어 넣다
beak
부리
gut
장

5

0:00/1:34

Fidgety people tend to daydream, which can distract them at school and work. But fidgeting, like doodling, can also provide physiological stimulation, which can help some people focus on a task. In one experiment, people who doodled throughout a phone call remembered 29% more details than those who did not, suggesting the activity may aid cognitive performance, although more research is needed.

번역 보기
physiological
생리학적인
stimulation
자극
cognitive
인지의

The findings raise questions about whether the way we perceive people who fidget should change, says Cade. Fidgeting is often seen as rude or an indication that someone is not concentrating. But it these simple movements are beneficial for our health, maybe they should be indulged, she says.

번역 보기
perceive
인식하다
indication
징후
indulge
제멋대로 하게 하다