Small physical activities, even those that are done without realizing it during the day, can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and even premature death. Some of them could be practiced during a business meeting, on an airplane, or even while reading.
It’s easy for a whole day to go by. First on the desk, then on the car and maybe a couple hours on the couch. Before you know it, it’s dinnertime and you realize that you haven’t had any physical activity all day.
Numerous international studies have shown that a sedentary way of life – a long – term sitting and lack of movement – can increase the risk of serious health problems. Therefore, any action that helps reduce the past tense time is beneficial for our overall health. However, finding time for physical activity can be challenging.
This is where casual physical activity comes into play. It’s the movement we do during the day, outside the scheduled exercise. This activity is also known as the thermogenes of non- exercise activity ( NEAT), which includes energy spent on any movement not related to sleep, food or deliberate exercises, explains Ananda Narayan, researcher at the University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand.
Occasional physical activity can be as simple as foot movement while sitting or washing vessels. Smaller moves, such as changing body position, turning shoulders or bending feet, are also calculated, Narayan says.
This type of activity is proved to be an amazingly powerful way to protect our health, helping to burn more calories, reduce risk from cardiovascular diseases, and even reduce the risk of death.
Once we become aware of the importance of these moves, we may be more easily involved in our daily routine through some simple lifestyle changes.
Here are some of them you can try.
The Continued Body Movement
A simple example is the movement of the legs while sitting.
Since childhood, we have often been told not to move constantly, since such conduct is considered a sign of frustration or a lack of concentration. However, there are several reasons why this counsel should not always be followed.
While sitting for long periods, the muscles in the legs are relatively inactive. This reduces regular muscle contractions, which help to remove glucose from blood and maintain healthy circulation, explains Narayan.
But foot movement increases muscle activity and, therefore, helps to burn more calories compared to staying completely still, according to a recent study.
Some previous research suggests that foot movement can help preserve the function of blood vessels and improve the control of blood sugar levels, Narayan says.
According to him, carrying out these movements may add to the health benefits.
And a small study has found that frequent foot swings, like a form of casual physical activity, can burn some 16 percent more energy compared with sitting still.
Move as often as you can during the day
Unlike planned physical activities, random movements do not require membership in the gym or the appointment of a special time for exercise.
We often forget that even regular household activities can reduce time spent. Cooking, gardening, and cleaning the house with an electric broom are also forms of physical activity.
To take advantage of these moves, we do not need to spend hours engaging in physical activity.
A large 2024 study has revealed that only four minutes a day with short bursts of physical activity, lasting less than a minute each, can help compensate for the increased risk of cardiovascular disease associated with the long decreased attitude.
In this study, researchers analyzed the data of more than 22 thousand U.K. participants who wore monitoring devices to record their movements during the day. Those who did not regularly exercise planned were included in the study.
Participants were monitored for eight years. Researchers found that the highest levels of random physical activity could help offset health risks related to sitting down for more than 11 hours a day.
Later research has also shown that this type of activity is linked to lower risk of premature death.
Nicholas Coemel, senior researcher at Monash University in Australia who led the study, says that activities that can be involved in the daily routine are climbing stairs, carrying heavy shopping bags or playing children.
According to Coemel, by giving more attention to opportunities to move during the day, people can also increase the intensity of these activities.
This may include walking faster than usual along the way to a destination or parking a car farther from the entrance.
Even during shopping, you can make a small change – instead of using a cart – you can use a basket. Before you know it, you may have activated and strengthened your muscles by carrying several pounds of products.
Creating New Customs Through Daily Activity
Setting major goals for physical activity may seem difficult. Therefore, another way to increase our daily movements is to get them involved in activities we already have.
This strategy, known as the connection of customs, recommends Amanda Daley, professor of behavioral medicine at the University of Louisborough in the United Kingdom.
This means adding physical activity to an action already part of routine. For example, we may get to our fingertips while washing our teeth, standing under the desk, or walking on a telephone instead of sitting.
Daley shows that a rule has been set up in her family: all online orders should be sent to a nearby package withdrawal point rather than home.
If we want something, we gotta go get it. This may also be an excellent way to get teenagers out of their rooms and make them walk more during the day, she explains.
New habits can also be developed during working hours. In one study, Daley and her colleagues provided doctors with desks that enable them to stand.
This helped them to reduce the amount of time they would otherwise spend sitting for about two hours a day. Researchers also found that this prompted doctors to discuss more often with their patients about the benefits of reducing past time without moving.
Occasive physical objectivity can also be an efficient way to be active, since we don’t always have to spend much time for it. It is important to find ways that don’t seem difficult and that are easier to implement, says Daley.
The greater advantage is that the more such moves are involved during the day, the easier they can become part of our lifestyle.
This can also serve as motivation, says Coemel.
When something becomes an integral part of your lifestyle, then it has already become a permanent habit, he points out.
In view of these benefits, even smaller movements during the day can differentiate with health. Whether walking on foot during a meeting, walking during a telephone call, or carrying out certain chores, any additional activity is more useful than sitting on.
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Source Layer: Signal
