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Few studies have compared multiple options to come up with the answer most office workers want: What is the least amount of activity needed to counteract the health impact of a workday filled with sitting?
Now a study by Columbia University exercise physiologists has an answer: just five minutes of walking every half hour during periods of prolonged sitting can offset some of the most harmful effects.
[...] Unlike other studies that test one or two activity options, Diaz's study tested five different exercise "snacks": one minute of walking after every 30 minutes of sitting, one minute after 60 minutes; five minutes every 30; five minutes every 60; and no walking.
"If we hadn't compared multiple options and varied the frequency and duration of the exercise, we would have only been able to provide people with our best guesses of the optimal routine," Diaz says.
[...] The optimal amount of movement, the researchers found, was five minutes of walking every 30 minutes. This was the only amount that significantly lowered both blood sugar and blood pressure. In addition, this walking regimen had a dramatic effect on how the participants responded to large meals, reducing blood sugar spikes by 58% compared with sitting all day.
[...] Taking a walking break every 30 minutes for one minute also provided modest benefits for blood sugar levels throughout the day, while walking every 60 minutes (either for one minute or five minutes) provided no benefit.
All amounts of walking significantly reduced blood pressure by 4 to 5 mmHg compared with sitting all day. "This is a sizeable decrease, comparable to the reduction you would expect from exercising daily for six months," says Diaz.
[...] "What we know now is that for optimal health, you need to move regularly at work, in addition to a daily exercise routine," says Diaz. "While that may sound impractical, our findings show that even small amounts of walking spread through the work day can significantly lower your risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses."
Journal Reference:
Duran, Andrea T.; Friel, Ciaran P.; Serafini, Maria A.; et al. Breaking Up Prolonged Sitting to Improve Cardiometabolic Risk: Dose-Response Analysis of a Randomized Cross-Over Trial, Med Sci Sport Exer, 2023. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003109
(Score: 4, Interesting) by digitalaudiorock on Tuesday February 21 2023, @02:54PM (3 children)
OMG. The "Rx for prolonged sitting" is to exercise regularly...period. This raging bullshit that "sitting is the new smoking", and is so "even if you exercise regularly" was based on a total mis-representation of one bullshit study that's since been debunked by many others. Don't even get me started on that standing desk horseshit...WORST think you can do to yourself. As with most developers I sit a LOT. I also workout twice a week and literally almost never miss a week (for over 30 years)...mostly weight resistant stuff. At nearly 70, I'm 6" and 157 pounds with just over 10% body fat, and can manage 80 or more good pushups in one set on a good day. Just do it...and don't worry about sitting.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday February 21 2023, @04:13PM (2 children)
>that standing desk horseshit
Funny thing is, I now essentially have a "standing desk" in the (corporate) office. At home I still use a chair, sometimes a lounger, but on those two days a year that I do go into the office, most of my time is spent standing, walking, talking. There's not much point in being physically present "on site" if all I'm going to do there is sit at a desk in a room alone.
Interestingly, my home chair is nowhere near as comfortable as my on-site office desk chair - doesn't need to be, because: I regularly stand up, go do other things - no need to "look busy" by getting all ultra-focused on a screen for hours at a stretch.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by digitalaudiorock on Tuesday February 21 2023, @09:18PM (1 child)
I suppose if you're actually ending up doing a notable amount of walking around a standing desk is at least not bad, though I still don't believe there are any real benefits.
However if you actually end up working for long stretches standing up, that very much IS NOT good for you at all. It can cause all sorts of issues including joint issues, varicose veins etc. Ask people who MUST stand for their jobs and they'll tell you. That's why you see things like pallets on the floor behind the counter at pizzerias...as a cushion to help with all that. I'd never go to a standing-room only concert these days for example. That's unbearable for me for all those reasons. Even if you're going to buy into all these supposed evils of sitting, it's all about sitting vs moving...NOT sitting vs standing.
(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday February 21 2023, @09:24PM
Oh hell yes. Try taking cushie "office chair" feet, putting them in dress shoes and standing on a concrete floor at a trade show 8 hours a day for 3 days straight. The stress on your feet and even legs and back is hard to ignore.
🌻🌻 [google.com]