No need to practice physical activity in prolonged sessions: only the daily duration of exercise counts to protect against cardiovascular risk.
Sedentary lifestyle kills. To protect against the cardiovascular risk associated with a lack of physical activity, it is recommended to practice at least 30 minutes of moderate activity per week. Brisk walking, cycling, dancing or even gardening: it doesn’t matter what the activity is, as long as it puts a minimum strain on the heart and lungs.
In the United States, these recommendations include an additional component that does not exist in Europe: for the protective effect to manifest itself, physical activity should be practiced in sessions of at least 10 minutes. A piece of advice that seems common sense, but that is now called into question by a study published in the journal of the American Heart Association, the American Cardiological Society.
The researchers studied the mortality data of 4,840 American adults, surveyed between 2003 and 2006. Participants were grouped according to their way of practicing physical activity: in sessions of at least ten minutes, as recommended, in sessions of five. minutes, or sporadically. It turned out that the protective effect was the same according to the groups.
Only the daily duration counts
Sustained or not, it is therefore the duration of physical activity during the day that counts. It doesn’t matter if you walk three times for 10 minutes in a row, or ten times for 3 minutes, as long as the count is there. Good news for those who don’t have the leisure to go for long walks: just take short, but frequent ones. At the office, for example, it is possible and even recommended to go out for the air every two hours (except if it is for smoking, of course…).
The researchers also point out that the 10-minute criterion comes from a 1995 recommendation, which on the contrary was intended to emphasize flexibility in physical activity. It would have remained in the guides despite inconclusive data. A phenomenon less rare than it seems: the so-called 10,000 steps per day “recommended by the WHO” (sic) actually come from a Japanese pedometer company! Prevention organizations, WHO included, stick to a minimum threshold of 30 minutes per day, or approximately… 6000 steps.
A profit of up to 1h30 per day
Researchers have also shown, consistent with previous research, that exercise duration and reduction in mortality have a linear relationship. The more we walk, the more we reduce the risk of mortality: 30 minutes a day is a minimum that is better to practice if possible. According to their data, it is only after about 1.5 hours of daily physical activity that the benefit plateau.
If the chair kills, it is because the sitting position causes less energy expenditure, but also because it increases blood pressure. These two effects combine to result in an increased risk of cardiovascular disease: a person sitting 11 hours a day has a 40% higher risk of premature death than if they remained only 4 hours in a sitting position. A good motivation to take the air. And if your boss is reluctant, do not hesitate to make him follow the studies …
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