It is well-known that sitting for long periods of time can cause back problems. isn’t good for usBut how much exercise is necessary to combat the adverse health effects of sitting all day?
Research suggests that you should work out for 30-40 minutes each day to get a good sweat.
Up to 40 minutes of “moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity” every day is about the right amount to balance out 10 hours of sitting still, the research says – although any amount of exercise or even Simply standing upIt can help to some degree.
This is based on a meta-analysisStudy published in 2020 that analyzed nine other studies. It included 44,370 participants from four countries, all of whom were wearing some type of fitness tracker.
It was found that people who live a more passive lifestyle are at higher risk of death than those who engage in vigorous physical activity.
The association between high levels of sedentary and death risk in active people who engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity for 30-40 minutes per day is not significantly different than that of those who are less active,” researchers stated. Paper.
In other words, putting in some reasonably intensive activities – cycling, brisk walking, gardening – can lower your risk of an earlier death right back down to what it would be if you weren’t doing all that sitting around, to the extent that this link can be seen in the amassed data of many thousands of people.
While meta-analyses like this one always require some elaborate dot-joining across separate studies with different volunteers, timescales, and conditions, the benefit of this particular piece of research is that it relied on relatively objective data from wearables – not data self-reported by the participants.
The study was published at the same time as the publication of the 2020 World Health Organization Global Guidelines on Sedentary and Physical ActivityThis compilation was created by 40 scientists on six continents. The British Journal of Sports Medicine(BHSM) also published a Sonder editionBoth the revised guidelines as well as the study must be carried.
“These guidelines emphasize that physical activity is important and that any amount of it is more beneficial than none.” Emmanuel Stamatakis, University of Sydney, Australia, is a researcher on physical activity and population health.
“People can still protect themselves and counteract the negative effects of inactivity.”
Based on fitness trackers, the research is in line with 2020 WHO guidelines which recommend 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity and 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise each week to combat sedentary behaviour.
Walking up the stairs instead of taking the lift, playing with children and pets, taking part in yoga or dancing, doing household chores, walking, and cycling are all put forward as ways in which people can be more active – and if you can’t manage the 30-40 minutes right away, the researchers say, start off small.
It is difficult to make recommendations for all ages and body types. However, the 40-minute time limit for an activity works well. previous research. More data will be published. We need to know how to stay healthy even if you have to work long hours at a desk.
“The new guidelines represent the best science available, but there are still some gaps in the knowledge.” said Stamatakis.
“We still don’t know where the line for ‘too many sitting’ is, for example. However, this field is fast-paced and we’ll hopefully have answers in a few more years.
The research was published HereThe 2020 guidelines, as well as the corresponding guidelines for 2018, are available. HereIn the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
This article was published in an earlier version in November 2020.
