Summary

The article emphasizes that while excessive sitting is not ideal, engaging in moderate to vigorous exercise is more crucial for health than simply reducing sedentary time.

Abstract

The article, targeting individuals concerned with health habits, clarifies that while sitting for extended periods is often labeled as harmful, it is not as detrimental as smoking and does not lead to the same severe health risks. It underscores the importance of physical activity, particularly moderate to vigorous exercise, in mitigating the potential negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Citing a study from the British Medical Journal, it suggests that just 22 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise can counteract the increased mortality risk associated with more than 12 hours of daily sitting. The article advises following the World Health Organization's physical activity guidelines, which recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, along with muscle-strengthening activities. It also acknowledges the benefits of low-intensity activities like walking for improving mental health and managing conditions like diabetes, while noting that such activities cannot replace the need for more intense exercise to maintain and improve overall health markers.

Opinions

Sitting is not as harmful as smoking, and the comparison is considered nonsensical and unsupported by research.
The primary health concern is not sedentariness itself but rather the lack of sufficient physical activity.
Current research suggests there is no ideal posture, and sitting for long periods does not inherently harm the spine.
Moderate to vigorous intensity exercise is more effective in lowering mortality risk than merely reducing sedentary time.
Meeting the World Health Organization's physical activity guidelines is suggested for optimal health benefits.
Low-intensity activities like walking are beneficial for health but should complement, not replace, moderate and vigorous exercise.

Which Is Best — More Exercise or Less Sitting?

Research provides targets you should aim for

Photo by Mike González: https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-people-doing-pushups-14623737/

What is one of the worst things you can do for your health? As a physical therapist, I see and hear about many health-related habits, both good and bad. Some are easy to categorize and cause little debate.

Exercise? Good

Smoking? Awful

Sitting? Terrible? This one creates a lot of discussion and, unfortunately, a lot of misinformation.

You might have heard the phrase “sitting is the new smoking,” and I’m here to tell you it’s nonsense and unsupported in research.

We know through mounds of research that smoking is one of the worst habits you can adopt for your health. The US Department of Health and Human Services reports smoking increases coronary heart disease risk by 2 to 4 times, stroke by 2 to 4 times, and lung cancer 25 times. Those are terrifying numbers.

Sitting does not carry those risks.

Yes, being sedentary can be harmful, but the numbers pale in comparison to smoking. A study in JAMA found overall mortality risk to be 2.8 times higher for smokers compared to non-smokers. Conversely, a new study in the British Medical Journal showed that for people who are sedentary over 12 hours per day and complete fewer than 22 minutes of exercise, the risk is only 1.38 times higher.

So, even if you sit all day long, you are not harming your body to the same degree as if you picked up smoking. If your posture comes to mind, you can drop the worries. Current research is clear that there is no ideal posture and sitting for long periods will not harm your spine.

Does this mean sedentary time is irrelevant? No, but being sedentary is not the primary concern, rather, it is the lack of physical activity. That same BMJ study showed getting more moderate and vigorous intensity exercise is more important than reducing sedentary time.

Focus on moderate and vigorous exercise

The BMJ study compared sedentary and activity times. It included nearly 12,000 participants over the age of 50. They were tracked for an average of 5.2 years using accelerometers. The results showed why exercise time is more important than sedentary time.

When compared to people who sit eight hours a day, the people who sat more than 12 hours per day had a 38% high mortality risk but only if they exercised fewer than 22 minutes of moderate-vigorous intensity exercise per day. If the duration exceeded 22 minutes, the risk disappeared. They used METs, or metabolic equivalents, to measure intensity, which you can learn more about here. Heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) are effective tools as well.

Additional findings supported the protective effects of exercise. Just 10 minutes of exercise a day reduced mortality risk by 15% for people with less than 10.5 hours of daily sedentary time and by 35% for people with more than 10.5 hours of sedentary time. Furthermore, increasing moderate to vigorous intensity exercise was more effective in lowering mortality risk than reducing sedentary time alone.

This is not the first study to suggest increasing moderate to vigorous intensity exercise should be prioritized over reducing sedentary time but previous studies had a much higher threshold of activity. A study in The Lancet suggests you need to complete at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise to completely reverse the effects of sitting eight hours a day.

Why is there a large discrepancy? There is a big difference in moderate and vigorous intensity activity and consistently obtaining exact measurements every day is a massive challenge. Briskly walking is not the same as running at 10 mph (16 kph) but they both fall into the broad category of moderate to vigorous intensity.

Given the totality of the evidence, I would suggest aiming to meet the World Health Organization’s physical activity guidelines. They suggest the following:

At least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity; or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week
Muscle-strengthening activities 2 or more days a week

You can do more activity for additional health benefits, just make sure you allot for adequate recovery. The guidelines also mention reducing sedentary time.

Just because moderate and vigorous intensity is the focus does not mean reducing sedentary time is irrelevant.

Low-intensity activity is still beneficial

Being active provides many health benefits. Low-intensity activities such as walking help with things like controlling blood sugar levels, which is important for people with diabetes or heart problems. You don’t need a fancy gym for this — just a nice walk can make a difference.

If you want to improve your endurance, walking is a good way to start. It’s not as hard as running or cycling, but it still challenges your body. Even a 30-minute walk every day or covering 7.5 miles a week can be effective, studies say.

Walking is also good for your mind. Studies show walking can help with things like depression, anxiety, and stress. It can make you feel better about yourself and help with loneliness.

Finding ways to reduce sedentary time can help with many aspects of your physical and mental health. Just remember, no amount of physical activity can replace moderate and high-intensity activity. Why? You can’t consistently grow muscle, enhance bone mineral density, build strength, and improve your VO2 max with walking. All of those vital markers of health can be improved with low-intensity training for severely conditioned people. If you have never lifted weight before, you will get stronger with low-intensity work, but you will plateau quickly.

Again, go back to the physical activity guidelines. If you want to improve your health, moderate and vigorous physical activity is needed.