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T elling people to move more is nothing new in the world of health – we all know exercise is good for us. But a 2024 paper from Brunel University suggests regular movement throughout the day, beyond formal workouts, is independently important for reducing our risk of many chronic diseases. What’s more, applying these learnings can be as straightforward as simply standing up occasionally during long periods of sitting..
The Brunel University team reviewed 28 studies covering 82,000 people aged 60 or above. They found strong links between greater daily sitting times and chronic disease markers such as high blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and waist circumference – even if that person also exercised. In other words, even an hour at the gym cannot wholly undo the damage caused by hours spent sitting down.
And, unfortunately, sitting down is a default position for most of us nowadays. “Over the past few decades, we’ve seen all of this technology come into play, which gives us more opportunities to sit down,” study author Dr Daniel Bailey told me following the release of the research. “With that, we have seen a massive increase in obesity and the diseases that come with it.” Some studies show the threshold for excessive daily sitting lies somewhere between seven and 10 hours per day, during your waking hours, he adds.
“That’s where your risk of early mortality and several different diseases really starts to increase.” Between seven and 10 hours is a wide window, and it is tough to keep tabs on how much time you spend in various chairs. The key takeaway here is that, if you sit down a lot each day, less sitting will more than likely benefit your health. Read more: A sports scientist’s guide to getting the same strength gains in half the time Spending too much time sitting down each day can have harmful long-term impacts on your health (Getty Images) During our conversation, Dr Bailey also offered an interesting explanation for why sitting down can have such a detrimental effect on our health.
While the exact mechanisms remain under investigation, he suggested that the body has “metabolic switches that help regulate blood sugar, glucose levels and cholesterol levels”. “If you’re not doing regular muscular contractions, these metabolic switches switch off,” Dr Bailey explains. “That’s when we get higher levels of glucose in the blood, higher cholesterol in the blood, and our blood pressure isn’t as well regulated.” Muscular contractions primarily occur with movement.
The most obvious way to keep them switched on is to move every 30-60 minutes, breaking up large stints at your desk or on your sofa. “Every movement counts,” Dr Bailey says. “We’ve published a lot of studies in our group that show how regular, short bouts of light activity keep these metabolic switches turned on, and your blood sugar levels and cholesterol stay lower throughout the day.
“It doesn’t need to be structured exercise. Simply standing up [and the muscular contractions that come with doing so] seems to be beneficial in people that are overweight, obese or have type two diabetes.” The issue is, when at work, it can feel like you are chained to your laptop. One unusual but effective way to weave more muscular contractions into each office day is to make your workplace a little bit less efficient.
Read more: Why these simple ‘movement snacks’ are the key to getting fit and healthy The act of standing up forces several large muscle groups into action, keeping your metabolism ticking ((Alamy/PA)) Keep the bin on the other side of the room. Place your pens in a pot that’s out of arm’s reach. Store your snacks in the kitchen rather than on your desk.
Go and talk to colleagues rather than sending them a message or email. Each time you need one of these things, you are forced to stand up and move. And this small act can deliver significant health perks.
“Benefits you might see and feel quite quickly [from more regular movement] are better mood, more energy and less fatigue,” Dr Bailey says. “Then, in the longer term, you might start to see reductions in body fat or body weight because you are burning more calories from movement. “The deeper impacts won’t be as obvious, but you could also benefit from a reduction in blood sugar levels and blood pressure.
That will help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers as well.” Read more: You only need four dumbbell moves and 20 minutes to strengthen your entire body
Source: The Independent
