Here’s How Much Exercise You Need To Do To Counteract Sitting At Your Desk All Day

Sitting has had a lot of bad press in recent years.

Extended periods of sitting have been blamed for everything to obesity to cardiovascular issues to cancer. Yup, a study last year by the American Cancer Society of over 130,000 adults found that women who sat for six hours or more a day were 10% more likely to develop cancer than those who sat for three hours or less.

If you’re sitting at your desk or on the couch right now having a little wail, panic not, because amongst all the scaremongering, there is some good news.

Okay, sitting down for eight hours straight isn’t exactly ideal for your body’s functionality, but once you move around enough during the rest of the day, you’ll be all good.

How much, exactly? Around 60 – 75 minutes, according to a study published by The Lancet. The findings advocate for at least one hour of “moderate intensity physical activity” per day to eliminate the “increased risk of death” associated with sitting all day.

Luckily for those who can’t quite manage an hour-long gym session or 75-minute hike on the daily, that movement can be split over a period of time and can be something as basic as a brisk walk.

So there you have it. Sit. Sit to your heart’s content. Just make sure you get those legs moving every so often too.

• exercise
• health
• Office
• sitting