Office workers who are compelled to sit for extended periods of time have been inundated with frightening headlines in recent years about the grave repercussions of chronic immobility, with the suggestion that regular exercise may not be sufficient to entirely minimize the damage.
A study that was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, however, gives some optimism because it discovered that the negative effects of extended sitting can be countered by as little as 22 minutes of moderate to strenuous activity every day.
The research
“It is sufficient to offset the detrimental health effects of prolonged sitting,” says study lead author Edvard Sagelv, a researcher at The Arctic University of Norway. The current recommendation is 150 minutes per week of moderate to strenuous activity. “The beauty of this is that we’re talking about activities that make you breathe a bit harder, like brisk walking, gardening, or tackling a hill,” he clarified, as reported by NBC News.
Their research showed that a higher level of physical exercise was associated with a lower risk of death. An additional 10 minutes of exercise corresponded to a 15% reduction in the risk of mortality for those who sat for less than 10½ hours per day, while for those who sat for more than 10½ hours per day, the risk of death increased.
Prolonged sitting and related risks
Dr Sanjay Kumar, general physician at Cygnus Laxmi Hospital, outlined how extended sitting raises the risk of dying because it is linked to a number of poor health outcomes, including as obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and specific cancers.
“When you sit for extended periods, your muscles are inactive, leading to decreased metabolism, poor blood circulation, and increased inflammation, all of which contribute to higher mortality rates,” he stated.
“Engaging in exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, or strength training, helps offset the harmful effects of sitting for long periods, promoting overall health and longevity.”
25 minute workout regime
A professional track field athlete and fitness trainer, Joel Arun Benjamin claims that India has one of the highest rates of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the world.
According to Benjamin, the human body begins to lose lean muscle mass after the age of thirty by eight percent every ten years. By the time one reaches sixty, that proportion has increased to fifteen percent each decade. To avoid this, he suggested strength training.
“Brisk walking for 15 minutes can help us to take down the risk of CVD. Along with 15 minutes of strength training at least twice a week is most important thing which every human being should must do it, specially after the age of 30,” Benjamin stated in conversation with Indian Express.
Bejamin added, “You have many problems in life unless you have a health problem, once you have a health problem you only have one problem.”
