How many minutes of exercise do office workers need to exercise each day to reduce the risk of premature death to zero?

There are 60 billion seats in the world right now, making each of us between 8-10. As a result, more and more people are suffering from cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes just from sitting too much.

Getting up, exercising and moving is the only way to reverse the effects of an 8-10 hour workday in front of a computer screen. But how much practice is enough?

A new study shows that people with sedentary jobs like office workers should have about 30-40 minutes of exercise sweating every day to balance 10 hours of sitting still.

Although any moment when you get up from your chair counts for your future health, the authors say 40 minutes of ” moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity ” per day is the goal. that specific objects such as office workers, drivers, factory workers … should aim for.

Why 40 minutes?

The figure is drawn from a new meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), in which the scientists gathered data from nine previous studies on a total of 44,370 people. Volunteer in 4 different countries.

Volunteers are worn with some kind of movement monitoring device. An analysis of their follow-up results showed: The risk of death among sedentary lifestyles increased as the time spent in moderate to intense physical activity decreased. .

” But in active people who do 30-40 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity, the relationship between time inactivity and the risk of death is not significantly different compared to those with less. sitting time , “the authors write.

In other words, if you are sedentary and are worried about your health, doing some reasonable exercise – such as cycling, brisk walking, gardening – can do it. Reduce your risk of premature death to the lowest possible level.

30-40 minutes of exercise a day is so effective that it can reverse the effects of an entire day of sitting and sitting, making it impossible for scientists to distinguish your risk from an active person even above. a study of thousands of people.

Fortunately, the harmful effects of sitting too much can make up for it

Although meta-analyzes like this have always required a complex synchronization between previously discrete studies, where volunteers, time scales and conditions differ, its strengths are. are based on relatively objective data from wearables by participants.

The research was carried out at the same time that the World Health Organization (WHO) published the Global Guidelines on Sedentary Physical Activity and Behavior. This guide has been edited by 40 scientists on all 6 continents. BJSM Magazine has released a special edition that includes both new research publications and WHO guidelines.

According to population health and physical activity researcher Emmanuel Stamatakis from the University of Sydney in Australia (Stamatakis was not involved in the meta-analysis but co-editor of BJSM):

” People can still protect their health and compensate for the harm of being physically inactive. As these guidelines emphasize, all physical activity counts and any amount counts. better than none “.

Stamatakis’ perspective is consistent with previous studies showing that even a few minutes of walking, climbing stairs or even a push-up can contribute to your health.

Experts still do not know how long they sit, they are considered ‘too much’.

Overall, the study was based on motor monitors in line with the new WHO guidelines, recommending each citizen should have 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous physical activity. weekly elevation to counteract the harmful effects of sedentary behavior.

Walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, playing with kids and taking pets, practicing yoga or dancing, doing housework, walking and cycling are all counted as activities that make people more active. .

And even if you can’t spend 30-40 minutes right now, researchers say start with small goals.

You can get 2 minutes of intense exercise by climbing 4 floors of the stairs instead of taking the elevator, 5 minutes by taking a quick walk to the convenience store and then back around, 10 minutes is equal to playing time with one child, 20 minutes while walking the dog.

And when you are ready, practice a sport like badminton, basketball or jog for 30-40 minutes.

However, scientists think that proposing a single number for exercise time is very difficult for all ages and all body types. While the 40-minute timeframe is consistent with previous studies, as more data becomes available, we should learn more to personalize that number for each person who is sitting at work for long periods of time.

” While the new guidelines reflect the best science available, there are still some gaps in our knowledge,” says Stamatakis. ” We don’t yet have a clear and precise scale for ‘sitting too much’. But this is a very fast-paced research area and we hope to have answers in a few. next year”.

Consult Businessinsider