Health. ANSES recommends this simple action to protect your health at work

In front of the computer at the office, on public transport, or sitting in front of the television... Every day we spend hours sitting, without measuring the impact on our health.

The findings of the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), based on this new expert report, are unequivocal: more than 37% of French adults spend more than 8 hours a day sitting. This excessive sedentary lifestyle is not without health risks.

And as the agency pointed out in a press release dated October 8, " the health effects of prolonged inactivity are now well documented. They increase the risk of developing certain chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, certain respiratory or osteoarticular pathologies, as well as certain cancers ."

The 5-minute solution

ANSES has reviewed studies on the health benefits of various activities that break up a sedentary lifestyle, such as getting up, walking, climbing stairs, etc.

The results show that walking for 5 minutes every 30 minutes at a low to moderate intensity improves metabolic parameters, such as blood sugar and insulin levels. For children, the data suggest that breaking up a sedentary lifestyle with more intense activity for 3 minutes every 30 minutes would be even more beneficial.

Breaking up sitting may also have a positive effect on cognitive function. Regardless of walking speed, studies show improvements in attention, reaction time, mood, and a reduction in fatigue.

" These beneficial effects are observed when the sitting position is broken regularly and ideally every 30 minutes," explains Perrine Nadaud, deputy head of the unit in charge of issues related to physical activity.

Integrating breaks into our daily lives

ANSES emphasizes the importance of incorporating these breaks from sedentary lifestyles into all environments, whether at work, school, or home. And to avoid falling into a routine, vary your pleasures:

• always prefer the stairs to the elevator;
• hold meetings or discussions while walking rather than sitting;
• when you call, stand up;
• place the printer or coffee machine away from your desk…