Sitting in front of a computer screen all day won’t get your photo on the bulletin board at your local gym. We have to get our legs moving for good health. Walking is great exercise. But who’s got time for a long stroll every day?
It might not be as difficult as you think.
Columbia University researchers say a five-minute walk per half-hour during the workday can lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Indeed, their study demonstrated a 60% reduction in blood sugar compared with those who sat all day.
Scientists examined five walking or sitting regimens in a group of volunteers. Some walked either one or five minutes per half-hour of sitting. Others walked the same length of time after sitting almost a full hour.
The last group didn’t walk at all.
Participants were allowed to do a range of normal things while they sat on their duffs. They could work on a laptop, use their smartphones or read books. Perhaps most important, they were fed.
Walking even a minute per half-hour was found to have a modest benefit on blood sugar levels. But one or five minutes per hour provided no meaningful effect. Five minutes out of 30 was the sweet spot.
The blood pressure finding is especially notable, as the decrease is akin to what you would expect from someone exercising daily for six months.
It won’t be easy for all of us to find that five minutes every half-hour when we’re working, unless you’re a cop walking a beat. But get the time in where you can. Visit a more distant bathroom through the day. Use the copy machine on the second floor rather than the one next to your desk.
You might just run into your boss getting their own minutes in.