Too much sitting is bad

Has the disruption wrought by Covid-19 seen you take more or less exercise? I feel I’ve been more active this year. I loved those long walks around the empty inner streets of Wellington during the lockdown. But the fitness tracker I wear on my wrist tells a different story.

Iwalked fewer kilometres overall this year than last and did fewer exercise sessions. The reality of the pandemic for many of us has meant more time spent working at home, which equals more video meetings, longer spells in front of our computers and fewer visits to the gym.

That’s a problem when you consider the new global guidelines from the World Health Organisation on physical activity and sedentary behaviour which were published last week. They recommend that adults (18 to 64-year-olds) get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 to 100 minutes of vigorous-intensity ‘‘aerobic physical activity’’ each week.

We are talking about brisk walking that gets the heart rate up and makes you puff for moderate exercise, or running, swimming or playing tennis for vigorous exercise. At aminimum, that equates to a brisk-paced, 20-minute walk around the neighbourhood each day, which was what I thought I was doing.

But the long hours I’m clocking up at the keyboard will take their toll, according to research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine last week alongside theWHOguidelines.

In a study that examined the fitness tracker data of 44,000 people from four countries, researchers found that those with a high daily tally of sedentary time – 10 hours or more – had a significantly heightened risk of death.

You can significantly reduce that risk by doing 30 to 40 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity. If you manage that, you are likely to have the same risk profile as someone who has very low amounts of sedentary time.

The trick is to remember that ‘‘all activity counts’’. Take the stairs instead of the lift, do some gardening, get on your bike. Team sports and certain types of gym sessions are great for the high-intensity activity, which serves your body well.

My goal for next year then is to hit that 150-minute target for physical activity each week. If we all did that, theWHO estimates we could grow global gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.15 per cent to 0.24 per cent a year between now and 2050. That equates to US$314 billion to $446 billion a year.

‘‘New Zealanders historically have enjoyed the benefits of a highly active lifestyle,’’ says physical activity and health expert, AUT’s Professor Grant Schofield. ‘‘Now we are midway in the OECD rankings.’’

Those with a high daily tally of sedentary time – 10 hours or more – had a significantly heightened risk of death.