According to the new global guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior published by the World Health Organization, one should get between 30 and 40 minutes of physical activity per day to compensate for the harmful effects of sitting on health. .
- 30 to 40 minutes of daily physical activity would limit the risk of mortality associated with sedentary behavior.
30 to 40 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a day may be enough to offset the adverse health effects of sitting. This advice comes from the new global guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior, which have just been published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. This advice is based on new research, also published in this special issue of British Journal of Sports Medicine. To reach these conclusions, the researchers analyzed data from more than 44,000 people living in four different countries. This information was collected via connected objects that measured their daily physical activity. Conclusion: the individuals who were most at risk of dying prematurely were those who had the most sedentary lifestyles. Unlike those who exercised regularly.
However, the scientists also observed that the extremely sedentary individuals achieved a mortality risk similar to the less sedentary people in the study by practicing only 30 to 40 minutes of physical activity per day. In other words, these 30 to 40 minutes of sport per day are enough to limit the risk of mortality linked to sedentary behavior. A tip to follow especially on days when you sit for a long time, for example, doing a bit of cycling or a brisk walk.
30 to 40 minutes of sport a day is not enough
The deleterious effects of a sedentary lifestyle, including prolonged sitting, are known: overweight, obesity, cardiovascular problems, liver disease, muscle atrophy, impaired cognitive functions, reduced neuronal activity, poor blood circulation, osteoarthritis, etc
According to the National Observatory of Physical Activity and Sedentary Life (Onaps), sitting for more than 3 hours a day is responsible for 3.8% of deaths from all causes in 58 countries – including France – i.e. more than 400 000 deaths per year. Nevertheless, in the current state of knowledge, the WHO recognizes that there is not enough evidence to set maximum sedentary lifestyle thresholds.
The advice is therefore to reduce these behaviors as much as possible and to replace them with sport. For this, 30 to 40 minutes of daily physical activity are not enough. The WHO recommends, in addition, to do 150 to 300 minutes of moderate sport or at least 75 to 100 minutes of intense physical activity per week. The authority also emphasizes the importance of muscle strengthening which should, ideally, be the subject of at least two weekly sessions. Finally, to reduce physical inactivity as much as possible, all physical activity counts. This means that small daily habits can also reverse the trend: not sitting for more than two hours at a time, walking for two minutes between each sitting period, climbing stairs rather than taking the elevator and making short walks. or by bike, etc. These small daily gestures can be the start, for very sedentary individuals, of a new lifestyle. Good advice that must also be accompanied by a healthy and balanced diet, without snacking.
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