We know that sitting hour after hour sitting is not good for us, but how much exercise is needed to counteract the negative impact of a day at the table? A 2020 study suggests they should do about 30-40 minutes of sweat accumulation daily.
Research says that up to 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day is approximately the right amount to balance 10 hours of sitting, although it helps to some extent any physical exercise or even standing. .
This is based on a meta-analysis of nine previous studies, which included a total of 44,370 people in four different countries carrying some type of physical tracker.
The analysis found that the risk of death among those with a more sedentary lifestyle increased as time spent on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity decreased.
“In active individuals who do about 30-40 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, the association between high sedentary time and risk of death is not significantly different from those with a low amount of sedentary time.” , the researchers wrote in British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) in 2020.
In other words, doing some reasonably intensive activities (cycling, brisk walking, gardening) can reduce the risk of a previous death to what it would be if we weren’t doing all this sitting down, to the point that this l ‘link can be seen in the accumulated data of many thousands of people.
Although meta-analyzes like this always require a combination of points developed in different studies with different volunteers, time periods, and conditions, the advantage of this particular research is that it was based on relatively objective data from portable products, not on self-reported data. by the participants.
The study was published in conjunction with the launch of the World Health Organization’s Global Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior 2020, compiled by 40 scientists from six continents. In fact, in November 2020 BJSM publish a special edition to bring both the new study and the new guidelines.
“These guidelines are very timely, as we are in the midst of a global pandemic, which has confined people indoors for long periods and encouraged an increase in sedentary behavior,” said Emmanuel Stamatakis, an activity researcher. physics and population health, University of Sydney. in Australia.
“People can still protect their health and offset the harmful effects of physical inactivity,” says Stamatakis, who did not participate in the meta-analysis, but is the co-editor of the BJSM. “As these guidelines point out, all physical activity counts and any amount of it is better than none.”
Research based on fitness trackers is widely adapted to the new WHO guidelines, which recommend 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous physical activity each week to counteract behavior. sedentary.
Going up the stairs instead of going up the elevator, playing with children and pets, participating in yoga or dancing, doing household chores, walking and cycling are posed as ways in which people can be more active, and if you can ”. Researchers say don’t manage the 30-40 minutes right away, start small.
Making recommendations for all ages and body types is tricky, although the 40-minute timeframe for the activity fits in with previous research. As more data is published, we should learn more about how to stay healthy, even if we have to spend extended periods of time at the desk.
“While the new guidelines reflect the best science available, there are still some gaps in our knowledge,” Stamatakis said.
“We are still not clear, for example, where exactly the bar for ‘too much sitting’ is. But this is a hectic field of research and we hope to have answers in a few years.”
The research was published here, and the WHO guidelines here, at British Journal of Sports Medicine.
A version of this article was originally published in November 2020.