Even if you follow standard recommendations for physical activity with the aim of “reducing risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers”, it seems that, according to [1], having long periods of inactivity is distinctly “related to risk of chronic disease independent of physical activity”.
Interestingly, taking more frequent breaks from sitting seems to be beneficially associated with metabolic risk variables. Again from [1]: “independent of total sedentary time, moderate-to-vigorous intensity time, and mean intensity of the breaks, more interruptions in sedentary time were beneficially associated with metabolic risk variables, particularly adiposity measures, triglycerides, and 2-h plasma glucose.”
It appears that “it is not only the amount of sedentary time that is important, but also the manner in which it is accumulated.”
Links
- Breaks in Sedentary Time: Beneficial associations with metabolic risk (link)
