An experimental physiological study involving a small muscle called the soleus might be a wake-up call for anyone using their sedentary job or lifestyle as an excuse for poor metabolism.
Subjects experienced distinct health benefits—including sustained elevated oxidative metabolism—from doing “soleus pushups” for hours while sitting. The soleus, one of 600 muscles in the human body, runs from just below the knee to the heel and is one of three muscles that make up the calf.
The effectiveness of the exercise, detailed in the study published in iScience in September 2022, has been touted as a potential solution for the rising rates of Type 2 diabetes. About 13 percent of U.S. adults have diabetes, and more than a third meet the criteria for prediabetes. Metabolic dysfunction also increases the risk of dementia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and COVID-19 complications….