A person who spends several hours sitting down at work or watching television and does not meet the minimum recommendations for physical activity is considered both sedentary and physically inactive. However, a person spending long periods in sedentary positions, such as sitting, lying down or reclining while awake may in fact also meet the weekly physical activity recommendations. If so, such a person can be considered sedentary yet also physically active.
For example, someone could spend 7 hours a day working in front of a computer and do 30 minutes of physical activity, 5 days a week. In this situation, however, the physical activity would not be sufficient to completely counteract the negative health effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
A comprehensive meta-analysis of over 44,000 middle-aged and older persons explored the relationship between physical activity, sedentary time and the risk of premature death. The results indicated that a combination of physical activity and sedentary time exerts a significant influence on the risk of mortality. Those with low physical activity had a higher risk of death, while those whose lifestyle had prolonged sedentary periods had an even higher risk.
Although the association between sedentary time and the risk of death was attenuated in those with higher levels of physical activity, the risk did not completely disappear. The study concluded that at least 30-40 minutes of moderate-to-high intensity physical activity may be needed to reduce the risk.
The results also suggested that relatively low levels of moderate-to-high intensity physical activity combined with low sedentary time may also reduce the risk of death. Therefore, it is essential not only to meet physical activity recommendations, but also to reduce sedentary time by adopting an active lifestyle.
Choose health
Adopting an active lifestyle involves making conscious decisions to incorporate movement into daily activities, such as walking, cycling, standing, climbing stairs or taking active breaks. These small changes, even if they require only a few extra minutes in your routine, have a positive impact on health and contribute to people being more active. Reducing or eliminating a sedentary lifestyle offers notable short and long-term health benefits.
Making small movements or taking active breaks, defined as brief, planned interruptions in the daily routine, help counteract the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle, while helping to reduce both physical and mental fatigue. These breaks can be taken in different ways and adapted to different environments, such as work, school or the home. They are also particularly important in sedentary work environments, as they help maintain a more active, healthy lifestyle, as well as improving creativity and productivity.
However, it must be kept in mind that the ideal situation is for people to comply with the weekly physical activity guidelines recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and to limit the time they spend every day in sedentary positions. The organisation's current guidelines recommend at least 150-300 minutes of moderate or vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity per week for all adults, including those with chronic conditions or disabilities; with an average of 60 minutes per day for children and adolescents.
Adopting active habits in daily life contributes considerably to maintaining good physical and mental health.
Information documented by:
Dr. David Domínguez, specialist in Internal Medicine and Sports Medicine at the Sports Medicine Unit.
