Want To Be Healthier? Any Activity (Even Sleep) Is Better Than Sedentary Behavior, Study Says

It's no secret that getting enough physical activity is essential to our overall health, but we need to talk about the opposite of physical activity: sedentary behavior.

For this study, researchers wanted to assess the impact of physical activity versus sedentary behavior on cardiometabolic health and cardiovascular disease (aka any diseases of the heart and/or circulation).

They looked at data from six studies, which included over 15,000 people from five different countries. Participants in these studies had been using wearable activity monitors to gather data on their physical activity, as well as had their heart health metrics taken.

In looking at these data, the researchers discovered an interesting trend: Not only did more moderate-to-vigorous activity benefit heart health, but even sleeping was better for heart health than sedentary behavior.

The researchers also used a model to assess what would happen if people changed their activity levels to be more active and less sedentary and discovered even just five minutes of physical activity a day can benefit heart health.

For example, if a 54-year-old woman with a BMI of 26.5 swapped 30 minutes of sedentary time for 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, she could see a 2.4% reduction in BMI, a decrease in waist circumference, and better blood sugar control.

The findings also suggest that people who are the least active will reap the most benefits from changing sedentary time to active time.

The findings of this study should come as good news to anyone looking to improve their heart health—or decrease their sedentary time.

The study authors note that when it comes to intensity, vigorous activity is better if you're short on time. If you have the time for a long stroll through your neighborhood or even opting for a standing desk a few hours out of your workday, that works too.