It takes no large leap of the imagination to see that the human body was not shaped for a life in an office chair, car, or couch. Our ancestors were habitual movers constantly engaging in mild to moderate exercise.
That is all well and good you may say, but as westerners with lives dominated by sedentary behaviour exercise must be supplemented back into our lives. A recent meta-analysis on movement lays out guidelines for a “Goldilocks” zone of exercise for maximal health benefits. This approach bestows maximal benefit with as little as 50 minutes per week (equivalent to running just 5-6 miles). The study emphasised diminishing returns from daily high aerobic exercise in favour of more frequent low to moderate exercise such as walking or yoga. The study references of cohort of daily endurance athletes over the age of 45 who were measured to have an increased risk for cardiovascular events as compared to those with a more moderate activity profile.
Key Take Aways:
- Sitting should be limited to 30 minutes at a time punctuated by a “brisk” 5 minute walk
- Use a sit-standing desk when possible to alternate postures regularly
- There is no upper limit for mild to moderate exertion.
- Limit “maximal effort exercise” to 4-5 hours a week
This is further evidence on top of the substantial body of knowledge for BeUpstanding Champions who have already integrated movement into the workplace.
This article was written by Connor Soles
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