Doing a little housework “can undo the damage of being stuck at your desk,” according to a study

Doing a little housework or taking a brisk walk every day can help repair the damage caused by sitting at your desk for hours, new guidelines from the World Health Organization say.

The advice on “sedentary behavior” is increasingly relevant to the millions stuck at home due to Covid restrictions.

It is based on a study showing that inactivity of ten or more hours a day is linked to a significantly increased risk of death.

But just 30 to 40 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity substantially reduces this risk, the research found.

About 44,000 people from four countries, who each wore activity trackers, were studied by scientists for between four and 14 years.

Doing just half an hour of housework could significantly reduce the risk of death from sitting ten hours a day (image file)

The advice on “sedentary behavior” is increasingly relevant to the millions stuck at home due to Covid restrictions. Pictured, shoppers in Reading, Berkshire on 22 November

Those who went about ten hours or more a day without moving – and didn’t exercise much – had a 263 percent increased risk of death compared to those who exercised and were inactive for no more than eight hours a day.

But those inactive for ten hours a day – but also got decent daily exercise – did not have a “statistically significant” increased risk of death.

The researchers, led by the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, underlined all physical activity counts. It could be anything from climbing stairs to a walk around the block, anything that causes someone’s heart rate and breathing rate to increase for an extended period.

Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, of the University of Sydney, who co-edited a special issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine focusing on the topic, said: “ While the new guidelines reflect the best science available, there are still some gaps in our knowledge. We are not yet clear … where exactly is the bar for “sitting too much”. ‘

The researchers, led by the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, underlined all physical activity counts. Pedestrians in Covent Garden, London, on November 22

The guidelines say everyone should aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate exercise per week or 75 to 150 minutes of high-intensity physical activity. It is also advisable to undertake a muscle strengthening activity at least twice a week and to reduce sedentary behavior.

Professor Stamatakis said: “These guidelines are timely, as we are in the midst of a global pandemic that has confined people indoors for long periods.”

WHO Professor Fiona Bull said: ‘The most recent global estimates show that one in four adults and more than three quarters of adolescents do not meet aerobic exercise recommendations.

“So it is urgent that governments prioritize and invest in national initiatives and health and community services that promote physical activity.”