22 Minutes of Daily Exercise Can Counteract the Negative Effects of Excessive Sitting

Spending too much time sitting down can wreak havoc on your health—but you may be able to offset those risks by getting less than half an hour of exercise each day, new research shows.

For many people in more developed countries like the U.S., a highly sedentary lifestyle is the norm—people can spend as many as 10 hours each day sitting down, mainly during working hours. And the more time a person spends being sedentary, the higher their likelihood of developing health issues like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer—all of which can increase the risk of early death.

The new study, published earlier this month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, sought to examine just how much sedentary time was associated with a higher risk of early death—and how much physical activity might be needed to offset that risk.

It turns out, in people ages 50 and older, sitting for more than 12 hours a day can increase the risk of early death by 38%—but only for those who got less than 22 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. More physical activity further offset that risk.

Here’s what you need to know about the new study, why sitting for prolonged periods can be bad for your health, and the benefits of even a small amount of physical activity.

For the study, researchers looked at health and activity tracker data of nearly 12,000 people who wore movement detection devices on their hips for 10 hours a day, for at least four days. The individuals, almost equally men and women, were from Norway, Sweden, and the U.S. Each individual in the study was tracked for at least two years.

Participants’ data was then linked with death registries, and researchers found that over an average of five years, 805 people had died. Of those who died, 357 people had spent less than 10.5 hours a day seated, and 448 people spent 10.5 hours or more seated.

The overall analysis showed that being sedentary for more than 12 hours each day was associated with a 38% higher risk of death from all causes, compared to people who spent just 8 hours a day sitting—but that increased risk of death was only seen in people who got fewer than 22 daily minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

The study classified that MVPA as brisk walking, cycling, resistance-type exercises, or garden work. It also accounted for other contributing factors for death by collecting data on a large set of important factors like education, smoking, alcohol intake, and disease.

Further, the research showed that higher levels of MVPA were associated with a lower risk of death, regardless of time spent sitting—but the association between sedentary time and risk of death was largely influenced by physical activity.

In people who spent 10.5 hours a day or less sitting, an extra 10 minutes of MVPA was associated with a 15% lower risk of death; meanwhile, people who clocked more than 10.5 sedentary hours saw a 35% lower risk of death from an extra 10 minutes of activity.

The study was observational, meaning the data could not show cause and effect, but researchers concluded that “small amounts of MVPA may be an effective strategy to ameliorate the mortality risk from high sedentary time.”

As society has evolved, more people are sitting in front of computers for prolonged periods of time, with it beginning in childhood. Research has suggested that adults who spend more time watching TV as children are more likely to experience adverse health outcomes, and it’s now estimated that today’s average teenager spends roughly seven hours a day on screens.

And with all this screen time comes prolonged periods of sitting that have been proven to be detrimental to one’s overall health.

“The way to look at it is related to more of what you’re not doing while you are sitting,” Ronald Freudenberger, MD, cardiologist and Physician in Chief at Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, told Health. “When you sleep for eight hours and then sit for nine hours, you’re not moving a lot and that has implications for your muscles, bones, and cardiovascular system.”

He adds that your muscular system is important, especially as you get older, for flexibility, balance, and for limiting potential back pain.

“Our core muscles really hold our spine and pelvis in the correct position, and your stomach muscles also hold things in the correct position,” he said. “If those muscles are not developed or underdeveloped, you’re more likely to develop back pain because you’re not standing the right way. That can also lead to degeneration of your spine and other problems.”

Other research has suggested that a sedentary lifestyle can lead to a wide range of health risks that include: cardiovascular disease, cancer risk, metabolic disorders like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and even depression and cognitive impairment.

If you suspect you might be living a sedentary lifestyle, the good news is that there are numerous ways to add small activities into your daily routine.

“I tell my patients to do what you enjoy—anything aerobic,” said Freudenberger. “It doesn’t have to be fancy. You can walk up and down steps. Improvise and make the most of what’s available to you.”

Other small exercises like implementing daily household chores, standing up and moving your body during commercial breaks, tracking your steps, or even opting for a walking pad to avoid sitting at your desk all day are great ways to combat a sedentary lifestyle.

And you don’t have to move for long—just be consistent.

“The key is continuous engagement, because the body is continuously adapting to your demands—if you demand it to do activity, the heart will adapt so it can sustain it over time,” study co-author Edvard Sagelv, PhD, a researcher at the Arctic University of Norway, told Health.

“When it all comes down to it, [it’s] fascinating that such small amounts can produce such a reduction in risk for premature death,” added Sagely. “The effect of doing physical activity on a regular basis is astonishing, you could say exercise is both prevention and medicine.”