Exercise and The Office: Workers Need To Exercise One Hour A Day To Ward Off Death Risk

One hour of exercise is needed by office workers to eliminate the risk of death connected with sitting for long hours, a new study has now revealed. The study, published in The Lancet journal, showed that office workers who did at least one hour of exercise eliminated this risk.

"We found that at least one hour of physical activity per day, for example brisk walking or bike cycling, eliminates the association between sitting time and death," said lead scientist Professor Ulf Ekelund, as per The Telegraph. Ekelund is from Cambridge University and the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences.

Office workers need an hour of physical exercise daily to offset risk of death https://t.co/XXLK78WSOP

— RT (@RT_com) July 28, 2016

Exercise And Death Risk

Data from more than one million people from 16 different studies were examined in the study. The researchers found that office workers who sat at their desk for eight hours but were physically active had a significantly lower risk of death, RT reported. This is compared to office workers who sat for less than eight hours but were not engaged in any type of exercise.

"Our message is a positive one: it is possible to reduce - or even eliminate - these risks if we are active enough, even without having to take up sports or go to the gym," said Ekelund, as quoted in the report. Ekelund added that if office workers cannot exercise for one hour a day, doing any form of exercise still reduces the risk of death.

Exercise For Office Lifestyle Workers Study A Global Effort

The United Kingdom's National Health Service said that adults are currently advised to have at least 30 minutes of exercise in one day. It added that the study's one hour a day advice could be a good idea for people with a 9-5 office lifestyle.

The study was reportedly a collaboration of several institutions worldwide. It was a joint effort from the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, University of Cambridge, University of Queensland, Oslo University Hospital, Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Sydney University and Harvard Medical School.