50 Minutes to a Healthier You

By Editorial Staff

You can find less than an hour in even your busiest day to do something that will dramatically improve your long-term health, right? And we're talking about something so simple and commonsense that we're almost embarrassed to have to point it out. We're talking about 50 more minutes of doing something active – as opposed to sitting around; and the health benefits are profound, according to new research.

Reducing sedentary time by 50 minutes on a daily basis reduces the risk factors that lead to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease – the most common chronic diseases worldwide; and it only takes three months of doing it to see results. In comparing sedentary, physically inactive adults with metabolic syndrome (putting them at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases), researchers found that the subgroup of adults directed to reduce their sedentary time for three months improved health variables such as blood sugar regulation, insulin sensitivity and liver health. Study findings appear in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.

Most participants in the intervention group reduced their daily sedentary time by replacing it with light- to moderate-intensity physical activity, starting with the first step that can be so agonizingly difficult for people confined to a sedentary lifestyle: stand up – from the chair, bed, couch, desk or whatever else has you doing nothing instead of moving. If you can't seem to find the time or energy to stand up / move more, ask your doctor for assistance brainstorming a sensible, achievable daily program of physical activity. You'll feel better and improve your health : a win-win!