According to scientists, it only takes about 40 minutes to reverse a day of sitting (Credit: Getty)

Dealing with our increasingly sedentary lifestyle doesn’t take as much effort as you may think.

Scientists have discovered how much exercise you need to ‘compensate’ for sitting all day.

They say up to 40 minutes of “moderate to vigorous physical activity” a day should be enough.

The data comes from a study published a few years ago that analyzed nine previous studies involving 44,370 people, all of whom wore some form of fitness tracker.

“For active individuals who engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, the association between high sedentary time and risk of death is not significantly different from that with lower sedentary time,” the researchers explained in their paper. . to learn.

The results broadly support current World Health Organization guidelines for physical activity levels for adults ages 18 to 64.

According to WHO, these adults are:

  • should do at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity;
  • or at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activity throughout the week
  • should also engage in moderate-to-vigorous-intensity muscle-strengthening activities 2 or more days per week that engage all major muscle groups as they provide additional health benefits.
  • can increase moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to more than 300 minutes; or more than 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activity throughout the week for added health benefits.
  • To reduce the adverse health effects of high levels of physical inactivity, all adults and older adults should strive to exceed the recommended level of moderate to vigorous physical activity.