Unlock the Secret to Combating the Health Risks of Sitting with Walking Breaks!
Prolonged sitting may be as harmful as smoking, but a small study shows that five minutes of light walking every 30 minutes of sitting can help counteract the damage.
The study involved 11 adults aged 40-70 sitting for eight hours on five separate days while engaging in various activities. Different treadmill walking break patterns were tested.
Five minutes of walking after each half-hour of sitting significantly lowered both blood sugar and blood pressure.
Although any walking after long sitting periods is beneficial, as all break patterns reduced systolic blood pressure by 4-5 points, which is comparable to a 13-15% decrease in cardiovascular disease risk.
The results were published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise on Jan. 12, 2023.
