Offsetting the health risks of sitting all day
In an article published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, research findings showed that at least 22 minutes of physical activity a day reduces the risk of early death.
Since the pandemic, we entered an era where working from home has become safe and convenient. Then there is the reality of sitting behind a desk for 8 to 10 hours a day. After the work hours, there s the weekend Netflix and other video streaming binges. A perfect sedentary life is made, with matching drinks and snacks and some beers in between.
But being sedentary is linked to several heath issues including early death and the research explored on how much time it takes for inactivity to trigger health risks and how much physical activity it takes to reduce them. The minimum physical activity needed, as per research, is equivalent to gardening or a brisk walk.
Researchers analyzed combined data from four previous studies of 12,000 people aged 50 and older wearing hip mounted fitness trackers to measure their active and sedentary time. Excluded were data from 12 midnight to 6am as people are usually sleeping during those times.
The study showed that for people who had less than 20 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity, there is a 38% increase in the risk of early death. Research also showed that increasing physical activity is more beneficial and protective than reducing sedentary time. Therefore, any increase in moderate physical activity translate to reduction of health issues and early death.
The results are similar to the Center for Disease Control s daily physical activity recommendation for older adults that advises 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week, translating to about 21 minutes of walking daily. It is also advised that adults do muscle strengthening activities at least twice a week, targeting major muscle groups legs, back, hips, abs, chest, shoulders and arms.
Going beyond 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or about 75 minutes of vigorous intensity weekly activity or an equivalent combination of both, we gain more health benefits for our bodies.
Bottom line just 22 minutes of brisk walking daily offsets the health risks of sitting too much. Let s move more, sit less. A bit of daily physical activity is better than none at all.
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