The amount of exercise you need to counteract sitting all day

A sedentary lifestyle with little to no physical activity is detrimental to health – physical as well as mental.

If your work involves sitting for 8 to 10 hours at a stretch, studies show that this could negatively impact your longevity.

Lack of physical activity is also linked to cardiovascular diseases. So what should be done? Quit your job?

Before we take any dramatic decision, read on about this meta analysis of nine studies which found a very easy and practical way to save yourself from the detrimental effects of sitting all day.

For this research, scientists looked at the fitness tracker data of 40,000 participants across four countries. The findings of the study are published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The researchers found that just 30 to 40 minutes of moderate activity a day is enough to counteract the negative effects on your health from sitting all day.

“In active individuals doing about 30-40 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity, the association between high sedentary time and risk of death is not significantly different from those with low amounts of sedentary time,” the researchers wrote.

This shows that people who sit all day but are able to get their heart rate up for even half an hour a day, have similar mortality rates with those who do not lead a sedentary lifestyle.

Getting your heart rate up does not equate to going for high intensity workouts. You can stick to a moderate level of physical activity and still reap all the benefits. Some of these include running, cycling, swimming, dancing, gardening, or playing a sport. Remember that any physical activity is better than none. So choose whatever is possible for you and which you enjoy.

This meta analysis of several studies shows that the basics of good health are more attainable than many people think. You don’t necessarily need a gym membership. In fact, just walking everyday has been shown to improve people’s health and overall well-being.

So the next time you get overwhelmed with strict diets or intensely-demanding workouts, this study can remind you that even simple and little physical activity on a regular basis can pave the way for good health and a long life.

Many people who understand and value the importance of exercising, might go overboard. If exercising moderately has benefits, then working out longer and harder will be better right? Maybe not. Studies have shown that excessive cardio can damage your heart and arteries. So make sure you workout based on your capacity and age.