Increasing evidence suggests that sitting down too much can put our health at risk. According to the NHS, being inactive is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, some forms of cancer and early death. Due to this, its advice is to “move more, sit less”. But how often should we be getting up from our chairs and for how long do we need to move?
Now, researchers based at Columbia University, New York, have an answer: taking a five-minute walking break every half an hour can offset some of the harmful effects of prolonged sitting. The team had a group of 11 participants sit in ergonomic chairs for an eight-hour stretch, rising only for bathroom breaks or a prescribed period of walking on a treadmill. The exercise periods tested were one minute of walking after every 30 minutes of sitting, one minute every 60 minutes, five minutes every 30 minutes, five minutes every 60 minutes and no walking at all.