A new study claims that physical activity for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, is not enough for those who spend the rest of their time sitting.
A study by Columbia University and an international team of researchers analyzed data from six studies involving more than 130,000 adults in the UK, USA and Sweden.
The authors used a technique called compositional analysis to determine how different combinations of activities – from moderate to vigorous exercise (activities that increase heart rate) and light physical activity (such as normal walking) to sedentary behavior – affect mortality.
It turns out that the benefits of 30 minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise depend entirely on how you spend the rest of your day.
While the current recommendation of 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day reduced the likelihood of earlier death by up to 80 percent for some – those who sat for less than seven hours a day – it did not reduce the risk of death. for people with a sedentary lifestyle (from 11 to 12 hours a day).
Interestingly, researchers have identified multiple ways to achieve the same health benefits from exercise.
For example, people who engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity for just a few minutes reduced their risk of early death by 30 percent – assuming they also spent six hours in light physical activity.
“For decades, we’ve told people that the way to stay healthy is to exercise for at least 30 minutes, five days a week,” says Keith Diaz, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Behavioral Medicine and director of the Exercise Testing Lab. Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University.
“But even if you’re one of the few adults who can stick to this advice, 30 minutes is only 2 percent of the day.
“Is it really all that is needed for health – our habits associated with activity only 2% of the day?”.
“It’s not as easy as checking the exercise box on your to-do list.
“A healthy movement profile requires over 30 minutes of daily exercise. It is also important to move around and not sit all day. “
Sebastian Chastin, PhD, professor of health behavior dynamics at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland and lead author of the study, added: “Currently, 30 minutes of physical activity per day or 150 minutes per week is recommended, but you still have the opportunity to reduce all this good work if you sit too long. “
The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. To read the full study, Click here.