Hour Of Walking After Work Cancels Out Impact Of Sitting All Day, Study Finds

An hour of walking after work could cancel out the negative effect of sitting at a desk all day, research suggests.

Scientists analysed data on a million men and women and found that sitting for more than eight hours per day without taking exercise increased the risk of dying prematurely by 60%.

In particular, the risks of heart disease and cancer were found to increase with an inactive lifestyle.

However, they also found that this increased risk was eliminated when workers took one hour’s moderate activity a day, such as a brisk walk or cycle.

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The researchers pooled together data from 16 previous investigations to draw their conclusions.

The participants, who were mostly over the age of 45, came from from the US, western Europe and Australia.

At one end of the scale people were active for 60 to 75 minutes each day. At the other, they were only active for five minutes or less.

As well as discovering an hour’s worth of exercise after work could reduce death risk, the researchers found that breaks away from desks during the day, such as a walk to the coffee machine, may be beneficial.

They’ve since called on employers to be more open to the idea of staff taking regular breaks.

Lead scientist Professor Ulf Ekelund, from Cambridge University and the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, told PA: “We found that at least one hour of physical activity per day, for example brisk walking or bike cycling, eliminates the association between sitting time and death.

“And you don’t need to do sport, you don’t need to go to the gym, it’s okay doing some brisk walking maybe in the morning, during your lunchtime, after dinner in the evening. You can split it up over the day but you need to do at least one hour.”

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For those who feel they’re too busy to take exercise after work, the researchers recommended incorporating more movement into their day.

“Take a five minute break every hour, go to the next office, go upstairs to the coffee machine, go to the printer,” said Prof Ekelund.

“Build physical activity in your everyday life. If possible, try to do some walking or active transportation to and from work.”

The findings are published in full in the Lancet journal.

Exercises That Fitness Trainers Would Never Do

Presses Behind the Head (01 of05)

“Anything behind the neck puts your shoulder muscles in a vulnerable position. So don’t do presses, chins and pull-downs behind your head,” Pomahac said. “It's an unnatural and unsafe position and puts your shoulder joint into an extension, external rotation position which places a large and unnatural strain on your rotator cuff muscles. I recommend military (front) presses or dumbbell presses, both of which work front delts much more safely. I never lower the weight below chin level. You'll notice this is about as far as you can go without your shoulders dropping. I usually perform military presses on a Smith machine, or dumbbells which lets me roll my palms back and find a more natural position.”Photo Credit: ShutterstockClick Here to See Exercises that Fitness Trainers Would Never Do

Seated Leg Machines (02 of05)

“I stay clear of the seated leg extension and seated hamstring curl machines,” said U.S. Track and Field Star and ACE Certified Personal Trainer Monica Hargrove. “When the leg is fully extended, that puts a lot of stress on the knee joints, ultimately risking injury. Squats and lunges are a safer and more effective way to work the quads.” She recommends trying front squats, back squats, split squats, walking lunges, stationary lunges, and reverse lunges.“When it comes to working my hamstrings, I'm more concerned with functional performance and the hamstring curl strengthens a motion not designed for running or sprinting. Straight leg dead lifts and good mornings are two exercises that train my hamstrings in better positions for running.”Photo Credit: ShutterstockClick Here to See Exercises that Fitness Trainers Would Never Do

Crunches(03 of05)

“I rarely ever do crunches,” said ACE certified pre- and post-natal fitness trainer Sara Haley. “To me it’s a waste of time -- too much risk of doing them wrong... I’d rather be more efficient and work my entire core with exercises like dead bug and plank variations.”Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Single-Leg Plyo Box Jump(04 of05)

"One exercise that I see people attempt, but I would never do is a single-leg plyo box jump (using the high platform). This is a move that is unnecessary and extremely dangerous,” said Basheerah Ahmad, a celebrity trainer and lifestyle coach. Click Here to See Exercises that Fitness Trainers Would Never DoPhoto Credit: Shutterstock

The Tricep “Bench” Dip(05 of05)

“This exercise places extreme stress on the acromioclavicular joint as well as the labrum,” said Chief Clinical Officer of Orthology Dr. Josh Sandell. “[Which] can lead to all kinds of shoulder problems and perpetuates the problems on anyone who has forward head posture.”Photo Credit: Shutterstock

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