You know that expensive st
anding desk you just persuaded your boss to buy so you could offset the damage of sitting all day? It’s not enough. A new study by researchers at the University of Utah used data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to see if longer durations of low intensity activities, like standing, and light intensity activities like casual walking, light gardening and cleaning extends the life span of people who are sedentary for more than half of their waking hours. The envelope please…The researchers found that “there is no benefit to decreasing sitting by two minutes each hour, and adding a corresponding two minutes more of low intensity activities. However, a “trade-off†of sitting for light intensity activities for two minutes each hour was associated with a 33 percent lower risk of dying.”
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Monday, April 21, 2025
I don’t understand: “…there is no benefit to decreasing sitting by 2 minutes each hour and adding a corresponding 2 minutes more of low intensity activities…However, a “trade-off” of sitting for light intensity activities for two minutes each hour was associated with a 33 percent lower risk of dying…” What is the difference?
The study sees a difference between low intensity, like standing, and light intensity, like walking. It would be even better, and not much more difficult, to break up an hour of sitting with two minutes of stretches, squats, pushups, situps, or anything like that. It would really add up by the end of the day, but the effort would be minimal.
The last two sentences are completely contradictory.
No wonder this article confused a lot of people.
It’s best to do moderately intensive exercise of NO
LESS than 10 minutes.
(Cardiovascular AND muscular)
I do two 12-15 min. sessions daily. I’m 75 and sure don’t feel like it