Do you sit all the time and tend to avoid sports? Researchers have found that even a little exercise can help to stay healthy.
Movement trains the heart and circulation and stimulates the metabolism. The result: digestion benefits, high blood pressure and other heart diseases are prevented, and obesity is also less common in active people. This in turn reduces the risk of developing diabetes and other metabolic diseases. The good news: Not only strenuous sports make us fit and keep us healthy. Even moderate and short breaks in movement have enormous effects, as US scientists inform.
A research team led by Matthew Nayor from the Sections of Cardiology and Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine analyzed the health data of around 2,000 study participants. “Moderately intense physical activity improves fitness most efficiently,” a study finding is quoted in the Boston University press release. Even a one-minute walk has a positive effect on our health.
Is 30 minutes enough to make up for a long sitting time?
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The researchers found in the analysis that “more time spent on physical activity (moderate-intensity physical activity) and activity at a low to moderate level (steps) and less time spent on sedentary activities lead to higher physical fitness”. Translated, this means something like: If you do sports more often, incorporate light exercise into your everyday life more often and sit less, you promote your own fitness. This is not a new finding. But it was interesting how little exercise improves fitness enormously.
As the fitness portal fitforfun quotes the researchers, just one minute of moderate exercise is enough to compensate for around 14 minutes of sitting. With almost eight hours of sitting a day, it would be around 35 minutes of exercise a day to compensate for the amount of sitting, according to fitforfun. Even a walk in the fresh air would be enough.
An actual international study refutes this thesis. Researchers led by Sebastien Chastin from Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland found that sitting for a long time cannot be compensated for by half an hour of exercise. As part of the study, the health data of around 130,000 people were evaluated. The result: In most cases, 30 minutes of exercise a day was not enough for people who sat a lot to significantly reduce the risk of death – compared to people who moved more often. According to the researchers, anyone who sits for more than seven hours a day should move far more often than just 30 minutes to reduce the risk of premature death.
Exert yourself physically more often and incorporate moving breaks
The arguments for increased physical activity: According to the US researchers, it was three times more effective than just walking and more than 14 times more effective than reducing the time spent sitting. In addition, they found that time spent exercising and increasing steps per day can partially offset the negative effects of sedentary work on physical fitness, it says in the press release.
No time for lengthy sports sessions during the day? Then you should get up from your office chair or sofa at least once every hour and move around for about a minute. 60-second lunges, 60-second hula-hoop breaks, or just jogging in place: In a few days, you’ll find that this has a positive effect on your figure, too.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editorial team cannot answer individual questions about clinical pictures.