We all know that it is important to be physically active to promote good health and well-being. However, it is also important to reduce the amount of time we spend being sedentary. This refers to the amount of time we spend sitting, either at work, school or home. Typically, sedentary time is spent looking at screens, such as watching TV, or using devices such as computers, tablets, or mobile phones.
As highlighted in the diagram to the right, research tells us that even if we are physically active, the more time we spend being sedentary, the higher our risk of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even some cancers.
To offset this risk, we need to replace time being sedentary with time being active, (i.e. move towards the green zone in the diagram).
If we do spend large amounts of time sitting (>8 hours/day), we then need to complete greater amounts of physical activity (>60 minutes/day) to reduce our risk of disease.
Implementing breaks of 2-3 minutes every 30 to 60 minutes of sitting can help to reduce the effects of prolonged sedentary time, this can be done by implementing reminders within your daily calendar or using a phone or smartwatch. Encouraging the of sit-stand desks in workplaces also helps us to reduce our daily sitting time and encourages more movement.
For those who find it difficult to complete the required amount of physical activity each week, a first step might be to start by focusing on reducing the time spent being sedentary by taking short activity breaks throughout the day.
