Research shows that if you have to sit for up to 10 hours a day, exercising for about 30-40 minutes is enough to “make up” for it.
Sitting for long periods is not good for health. Therefore, a research team from Norway analyzed nine different studies involving a total of 44,370 people across four countries who were wearing some form of health tracking devices. They concluded that sweating for 30-40 minutes each day is sufficient.
Any “stretching” movement or even just standing up is beneficial.
The research team, led by Professor Ulf Ekelund from the Department of Sports Medicine at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, stated that a maximum of 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each day is sufficient to balance out 10 hours of sitting still. Additionally, any “stretching” movement or even just standing up is beneficial.
The study found that the risk of death for sedentary individuals increased as the duration of moderate to vigorous exercise decreased. In other words, engaging in moderate physical activities (such as cycling, brisk walking, gardening) can help reduce the risk of early death to levels comparable to those who do not sit for long periods.
In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the 2020 Global Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior, compiled by 40 scientists from around the world.
“As this guideline emphasizes, every physical activity is valuable, and any level of activity is better than none. People can still protect their health and mitigate the harms of being sedentary,” said Emmanuel Stamatakis, a population health and physical activity researcher from the University of Sydney, as reported by ScienceAlert on September 19.
Based on the WHO guidelines, the study also recommends that individuals engage in moderate exercise for about 150-300 minutes per week or vigorous exercise for about 75-150 minutes per week to counteract the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
Walking up stairs instead of taking the elevator, playing with children and pets, practicing yoga or dancing, doing household chores, walking, and cycling are all considered ways to help people become more active. If you cannot immediately dedicate 30-40 minutes each day to exercise, we can still start with small actions, the research team emphasized.
The study was published in the journal British Journal of Sports Medicine.
