Researchers have revealed the minimum time of physical activity to fight against the deleterious effects of a sedentary lifestyle on health.
- A sedentary lifestyle is defined by a situation of wakefulness characterized by low energy expenditure in a sitting or lying position, according to the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
- 95% of French people do not exercise enough to keep them in good health (Anses).
A sedentary lifestyle is a real scourge. Indeed, remaining inactive leads to health problems such as an increased risk of cancer. And it’s one of the biggest risk factors for death from non-communicable diseases, says theWorld Health Organization (WHO). The good news is that it is easy to counterbalance these harmful effects.
Physical activity: 30 minutes a day is enough
A meta-analysis published in British Journal of Sports Medicine reveals that 30 minutes”moderate-to-vigorous physical activity“, only a day is enough to compensate for ten hours of time spent sitting, at work for example. To arrive at this result, the researchers compared data from nine studies carried out in four countries involving 44,370 men and women.
The participants were followed for a period of 4 to 14.5 years during which 3,451 participants died. The analysis further reveals that the risk of death among more sedentary people, who spent more than 10.5 hours a day without activity, increased as the time spent in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity decreased.
“Any physical activity is better than no exercise at all”
These results agree with the recommendations of theWHO which recalls that “walking, cycling, active relaxation and play are all common ways to engage in physical activity that can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of skill level.”.
Other tips for moving more: take the stairs rather than the elevator, for example, choose public transport rather than the car or get off at a transport station further from your home or work to walk longer. “Any physical activity is better than no exercise at all“, sums up the WHO.
And this is especially true in times of Covid-19. A previous study also published in the British Journal of Sports Medicinerevealed that regular physical activity was associated with lower risk”infection” to the coronavirus, as well as to a better prognosis in matters “hospitalizations, severity and mortality“.
