Dead butt. Muscle tightness. Premature death.
Scientists have been more than clear over the past few years that sitting on your butt for longer periods of time isn’t great for your health. But that can be tough to avoid when you have a desk job.
Now, new research suggests that getting up and taking a brief stroll every half hour can offset the more harmful effects of sitting.
Here’s what the study found, plus what a personal trainer recommends to put this into practice.
Meet the expert: Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab.
What did the study find?
The study, which was published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, recruited 11 adults and had them sit in an ergonomic chair for eight hours. They were broken into groups with a prescribed exercise “snack” of walking for one minute after 30 minutes of sitting, one minute of walking after 60 minutes of sitting, walking for five minutes every 30 minutes, walking for five minutes every 60 minutes, and no walking.
The researchers measured the participants’ blood pressure and blood sugar levels, which indicated their cardiovascular health. During the study, participants worked on a computer, read, and used their phones.
The researchers discovered that people who walked every five minutes for 30 minutes were the most likely to have lowered blood sugar and blood pressure. It also impacted how they responded to large meals, lowering their blood sugar spikes by 58% compared to sitting all day.
It’s important to point out that this was a really small study, making it hard to pull too much from the findings. Still, they’re definitely interesting and provide a good benchmark to consider if you work at a desk.
Why is walking so good for you?
Walking has become a breakout form of exercise over the past few years. A lot of people like it because it’s easy for most to do, says Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab. It also doesn’t require any equipment, he points out. “You don’t need to go to the gym for this,” Matheny adds.
Walking is also a weight-bearing exercise, which can help support muscle and bone strength, Matheny says. “This is especially helpful for women with bone density issues,” he says.
Research has found that walking can boost your mood, burn calories, promote better heart health, and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, if you’re prediabetic. It may even help you to live longer.
How much walking should I do a day?
It’s hard to say for sure. This study which, again, was small, suggests that you should walk five minutes for every 30 minutes of sitting, which ends up being 80 minutes during an eight-hour workday. But another recent study found that you can see health benefits from something as simple as strolling at a solid clip for 11 minutes a day.
“As with pretty much everything in fitness, it depends on where you’re starting from,” Matheny says. “If you’re on the couch all the time, five minutes is great.” But Matheny also says that science finds you’ll start to have cardiovascular benefits after 20 minutes or more of walking.
How can I walking more if I have a desk job?
Walking five minutes for every 30 minutes of sitting time sounds like a lot, but Matheny says there are ways to get creative about squeezing it into your day. Those include:
- Taking the long way to the bathroom and back when you have to go
- Park farther away from your office, if you have one
- Walk before work, after work, and to lunch
- Walk during calls
- Take the stairs
- Take the longer route to fill up your water bottle
If you’re not thrilled with your step count after all of this, Matheny recommends considering an under-desk treadmill. “Many people like those,” he says.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
