Tired of sitting all day? Walk it off, researchers suggest

Umeå, Sweden – Workers who sit all day and go home tired at night should try getting up for a brisk walk or two during the workday, suggests a new study by Swedish and Australian researchers.

The researchers compared five hours of uninterrupted sitting to sitting with three minutes of light-intensity walking every 30 minutes. The study’s 19 participants, who were between 45 and 75 years old and were overweight or obese, then reported their fatigue levels.

Researchers found that fatigue levels for participants who walked were lower than those who sat the entire time. “Interrupting prolonged sitting with light-intensity walking breaks may be an effective fatigue countermeasure acutely,” the researchers said in the study.

The study, which was published online Feb. 26 in BMJ Open, was conducted by researchers from Umeå University in Sweden, and Australian universities in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.