Bad News: 30 Minutes of Exercise Won’t Counteract Sitting All Day
A healthy and active lifestyle is more than just exercising for 30 minutes, and that there are many different ways of achieving better health and longevity.
It’s recommended we do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day – or 150 minutes a week – to stay healthy. But 30 minutes accounts for just 2% of the day. And many of us spend most of the rest of the time sitting.
Research shows that sitting can be bad for our health in many ways – with some even suggesting it’s as bad for us as smoking. And our new study has revealed that 30 minutes of daily exercise is not enough to overcome the health risks of sitting too much. But we also revealed that with the right balance of time spent exercising and moving, it may be possible to counteract the negatives of sitting.
Study: Multiple combinations of activities reduced risk of early death by 30%
A new study from Columbia University and an international team of researchers identifies multiple ways to achieve the same health benefits from exercise as long as the exercise cocktail includes plenty of light physical activity. For decades, we ve been telling people that the way to stay healthy is to get at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week, says Keith Diaz, PhD, assistant professor of behavioral medicine and director of the exercise testing laboratory at the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.