How much exercise is needed to counteract the negative health impact of a day at a desk? A 2020 study suggests about 30-40 minutes per day of building up a sweat should do it. We know that spending hour after hour sitting down isn’t good for us, but just how much exercise do we need to do to counteract this?
Exercise and Risk of Death
A meta-analysis across nine previous studies found that the risk of death among those with a more sedentary lifestyle went up as time spent engaging in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity went down.
- Active individuals doing about 30-40 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity activity did not differ significantly from those with low amounts of sedentary time, suggesting that putting in some moderately intensive activities can lower your risk of an earlier death.
The study was published alongside the release of the World Health Organization 2020 Global Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior
In fact, in November 2020 BJSM put out a special edition to carry both the new study and the new guidelines
- The research based on fitness trackers is broadly in line with the new WHO guidelines, which recommend 150-300 mins of moderate intensity or 75-150 mins of vigorous-intensity physical activity every week to counter sedentary behavior.
New guidelines reflect the best available science
There are still some gaps in our knowledge
