Against excessive sedentary lifestyle and its dangers to health, the French are advised to abandon the sitting position more often, at work or at school, and walk for 3 to 5 minutes every half hour, according to health recommendations published on Wednesday.
In front of a computer screen, television or not, prolonged periods of sedentary lifestyle, in which one remains seated or awake, increase the risk of developing diseases: type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular, respiratory, osteoarticular diseases and certain cancers, recalls the National Health Security Agency (ANSES).
However, a large proportion of French people remain too sedentary: adults spend an average of 7 hours a day in activities without moving (in front of a screen, in the car, sitting at work, etc.).
“It is not enough to get up and sit down again.”
Leaving the chair or sofa has been a recommendation from health authorities for several years. “Do not sit for too long: take the time to walk a little every 2 hours,” summarized Public Health of France (SpF) in 2016 after an initial evaluation by ANSES.
Since then, several studies have shown the benefits of interrupting a sedentary lifestyle more frequently. During the 2020 confinement linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, ANSES recommended getting up at least every 30 minutes, walking for 3 to 5 minutes and doing some movement, but this period of sedentary lifestyle was atypical.
To take into account the latest knowledge, ANSES, contacted by the Ministry of Health, reviewed more than 75 solid studies on the benefits of activities that break a sedentary lifestyle.
Conclusion: “Walking 5 minutes every 30 minutes, with low to moderate intensity, improves metabolic parameters, such as blood sugar or insulinemia,” according to their new experience.
“But it is not enough to get up, walk around the office and sit down again: the break in a sedentary lifestyle must last 3 to 5 minutes and sufficiently mobilize motor skills, such as a brisk walk of 3 to 5 minutes,” Irène Margaritis, deputy director of food, animal and plant health at Anses and an experienced mountaineer, explains to AFP.
“Children need to move”
In children, a “high intensity” activity of 3 minutes every half hour would be even “more beneficial,” the agency specifies. “Children need to move” and “their spontaneous activity is much greater than what they do during the school day,” the expert emphasizes.
Leaving the sitting position regularly also benefits cognitive functions, according to studies: attention, reaction time, mood improve, the feeling of fatigue decreases, whatever the speed when walking.
Other levers besides walking (biking, stairs, muscle strengthening, etc.) have interesting physiological effects. “But we do not have sufficiently solid data to make precise recommendations,” says Irène Margaritis.
Work, school, home: breaking a sedentary lifestyle is recommended everywhere, for example, preferring the stairs to the elevator, chatting while walking, working at a sitting or standing desk, etc.
Beyond these individual behaviors, it is crucial to create environments more conducive to an active lifestyle.
Change the collective culture
“At the moment, there is no collective culture of breaks in a sedentary lifestyle: at work, in the tertiary sector, there are often long meetings without breaks; at school, children are forced to spend a lot of time in a sedentary lifestyle, which is harmful and conditions them for the future…”, observes the scientist.
To preserve health, however, it is not enough to be less sedentary: a good dose of physical activity is also necessary. Moving on foot or by bicycle, climbing stairs, doing activities at home (housework, gardening, DIY).
For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week (walking, swimming, cycling, etc.) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (running, team sports, etc.), or a combination of both. Playing sports also allows you to act in a more fun way for your health, argues ANSES.
Source: BFM TV
