Workout Is Not Everything!

Spending long hours sitting at a desk and a lack of physical activity are associated with many chronic diseases. Unfortunately, few people actually meet the recommendations for the level of physical activity recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). I wrote about how much we need to move HERE.

We’ve been aware for over a decade that the way to stay healthy is to exercise for at least 30 minutes five days a week. However, according to the latest research, the benefits of 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise depend on how you spend the rest of your day ? 

 

Researchers at Columbia University, who have published the results of their work in the Journal of Sports Medicine, looked at how our health is affected by a combination of different activities contribute to mortality, including moderate to vigorous exercise (such as brisk walking, jogging, or other activities that increase the frequency of heart rate), light physical activity (such as housework or walking freely) and a sedentary lifestyle. The authors used data from other studies on more than 130,000 adults in the United Kingdom, the United States and Sweden.

Research studies have shown that the recommended 30 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity reduced the likelihood of early death by up to 80% for some respondents, but it only affected those who spent fewer than 7 hours of sitting. Unfortunately, this time of activity didn’t reduce the risk in the case of people who led a sedentary lifestyle (11-12 hours a day). In other words, the more we sit, the more we need to be active after work!

What is more, researchers found that 3 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity or 12 minutes of light activity per each hour of sitting are optimal for improving health and reducing the risk of early death. It’s very interesting, isn’t it?

 

As we go deeper into the research, we can conclude that there is no one-size-fits-all model for physical activity leading to health benefits. Therefore, we can choose the activity that we like best – light or moderate to intense exercise, while adhering to the  recommendations.

 

However, there is also a solution for people who cannot devote so much time to physical activity. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Playing with children or walking the dog is also a great idea. Try to choose a bike instead of traveling to work by car. Remember: every physical activity counts because any activity is better than none!

 

Bibliography:

1. Chastin S, McGregor D, Palarea-Albaladejo J, et al. Joint association between accelerometry-measured daily combination of time spent in physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep and all-cause mortality: a pooled analysis of six prospective cohorts using compositional analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2021; 0:1–10.
2. Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Different physical activity ‘cocktails’ have similar health benefits. ScienceDaily. 2021.