|
The study by the University of Leicester found that even moderate activity can be enough for a health boost. Sedentary behaviour - any waking behaviour with low energy expenditure while in a sitting or reclining posture - has been linked to ill health. But medics are concerned as many British adults now spend between half and nearly three quarters of waking hours sitting. Dr Thomas Yates, who worked on the study, said: "It is possible for an individual, over the course of a day, to have high levels of physical activity and still accumulate large amounts of sedentary time." The study published in BMC Public Health used data from the 2008 Health Survey to paint a representative sample of English adults. They were grouped as "Busy Bees" - physically active with low sedentary levels; "Sedentary Exercisers" - physically active with high sedentary levels; "Light Movers" - physically inactive, had low sedentary; and "Couch Potatoes" - physically inactive, high sedentary. Dr Yates said: "Overall, adults who engaged in at least 150 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, including 'Sedentary Exercisers', had more favourable health profiles compared to 'Couch Potatoes'. "By suggesting that being physically active may offset some of the deleterious consequences of routinely engaging in high levels of sedentary behaviour, this study further emphasises the importance of physical activity in the promotion and maintenance of health." | 
