How Much Exercise Is Needed to Offset Sitting All Day?

We know long hours of sitting aren’t great for our health, but how much exercise is required to counteract those lengthy desk sessions?

Research indicates that 30 to 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day can offset the negative effects of sitting for up to 10 hours.

While any movement, even just standing, can be beneficial, a solid half an hour of breaking a sweat seems to strike the right balance, according to the study.

This conclusion comes from a 2020 meta-analysis that reviewed nine previous studies involving 44,370 participants from four countries, all wearing fitness trackers.

The researchers discovered that the risk of death linked to a sedentary lifestyle decreased significantly as time spent on moderate-to-vigorous activity increased.

“For people engaged in around 30-40 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, the elevated risk of death from prolonged sitting is nearly eliminated,” the researchers noted.

Activities like brisk walking, cycling, or gardening were identified as effective ways to mitigate the risks associated with extended sedentary behavior.

Meta-analyses such as this one have to synthesize findings from diverse studies, which may vary in participants and conditions.

However, this particular research benefits from reliable, objective data collected through fitness trackers rather than relying on self-reported information.

The findings align closely with the World Health Organization’s 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior, which recommend 150-300 minutes of moderate activity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly.

These guidelines, developed by 40 experts from six continents, emphasize the importance of moving more and sitting less.

“Every bit of physical activity helps, and anything is better than nothing,” said Emmanuel Stamatakis, a physical activity researcher at the University of Sydney.

Activities like walking, climbing stairs, playing with pets or children, and dancing are examples of simple ways to stay active.

The researchers also encourage starting small for those who might find 30-40 minutes challenging initially.

While crafting universal recommendations accounting for all body types and ages is complex, the 40-minute exercise benchmark corresponds with other studies.

As research evolves, scientists aim to better define the limits of sedentary behavior and uncover more ways to maintain health despite desk-bound lifestyles.

“There’s still much we don’t know, such as the exact threshold for ‘too much sitting,’” Stamatakis added.

“However, this field of research is advancing quickly, and more answers should emerge in the near future.”

For more details, you can refer to the research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and the WHO’s 2020 guidelines on physical activity.

Source: sciencealert

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.