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It's easy to spend the entire day sitting: first at your desk at work, then maybe in the car, and then a couple of hours on the couch.
Next thing you know, you're already eating dinner and you haven't exercised all day.
Numerous studies worldwide have revealed that a sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of serious health problems.
Therefore, any measure we take to reduce the time we spend sitting benefits our overall health.
However, sometimes it is difficult to find the time to do it.
This is where “incidental exercise” comes into play.
These are the movements that we perform outside of planned physical exercise, something that is also known as "non-exercise activity thermogenesis."
Anantha Narayanan, a researcher at the Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand), explains that this concept encompasses all the energy we use in movement, excluding the time spent sleeping, eating or doing deliberate physical exercise.
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Incidental exercise can be as simple as moving a leg while sitting or washing dishes.
"Small movements, like changing your posture, rotating your shoulders, or flexing your feet, also count," Narayanan says.
Incidental exercise is emerging as a surprisingly effective tool for protecting our health: it helps us burn more calories, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, and even reduces the risk of mortality.
Once we are aware of this “incidental activity,” we can integrate it more into our daily routine through small adjustments to our lifestyle. Here are some suggestions you could put into practice.
Restless movements
Take, for example, moving our legs while sitting.
Since childhood, we have been taught not to fidget or move constantly, as this is often interpreted as a sign of boredom or lack of attention.
However, there are many reasons not to heed this advice.
When we spend long periods sitting, our leg muscles remain relatively inactive.
This reduces regular muscle contractions that help remove glucose from the bloodstream and promote healthy circulation, explains Narayanan.
A recent study has shown that making small movements—fidgeting or moving constantly—increases muscle activity and therefore helps us burn more calories compared to remaining completely still while sitting.
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"Some previous research suggests that moving your legs restlessly could help maintain blood vessel function and improve control of blood sugar levels," says the researcher.
Remaining standing while doing this could enhance these benefits. (You can read more on BBC Mundo about when it is appropriate—and when not—to worry about blood sugar spikes).
Similarly, a small study found that the habit of moving your legs—a form of motor fidget—consumes about 16% more energy compared to sitting still.
Move frequently
Unlike structured physical activity, incidental movement does not require a gym membership or setting aside a specific time to exercise.
We often forget that everyday household tasks can reduce the time we spend in a sedentary state.
Cooking, gardening, or vacuuming are actually forms of incidental exercise.
You don't have to spend hours moving to get health benefits.
According to a large 2024 study, just four minutes a day—spread into short bursts of activity of less than a minute each—is enough to help offset the increased risk of cardiovascular disease associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
In this study, researchers analyzed data from more than 22,000 participants in the United Kingdom, who wore a tracking device that recorded their level of movement throughout the day.
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The sample was limited to people who did not do physical exercise on a regular or planned basis.
Participants were followed for eight years.
The researchers found that higher levels of incidental activity could offset the health risks associated with sitting for more than 11 hours a day.
Subsequent studies have also revealed that incidental activity is associated with a lower risk of premature death.
Nicholas Koemel, senior researcher at Monash University (Australia) and director of the study, points out that these types of activities can include climbing stairs, carrying heavy shopping bags or playing with children.
By paying attention to opportunities that allow us to increase movement throughout the day, it is possible to even increase the intensity of those activities, explains Koemel.
This could mean, for example, walking at a faster pace than usual to reach a destination, or parking your vehicle further away when shopping.
Once in the store, you can choose to use a basket instead of a cart; Without realizing it, one could end up strengthening muscles by carrying several kilos of products.
Habit integration
Big fitness goals can feel overwhelming.
Therefore, an effective strategy for incorporating movement into your daily routine is to "anchor" new actions to activities you already do, suggests Amanda Daley, professor of behavioral medicine at Loughborough University (United Kingdom).
In essence, it is simply about adding some movement to an activity that is already part of our routine.
You could try doing heel raises while brushing your teeth, lifting your legs under your desk, or walking while talking on the phone instead of sitting still.
Daley says that in his house, there is a rule that all packages purchased online must be sent to a nearby collection point instead of to his home.
image source, Reuters
"If we want something, we have to go get it. This can also be a great way to get teens to get out of their rooms and walk around a bit during the day."
In turn, we can incorporate new habits into our workday.
In one study, Daley and his colleagues provided standing desks to several doctors.
This helped them reduce the time they would otherwise have spent sitting by about two hours a day.
The team also noted that this encouraged more conversations with patients about the benefits of reducing sedentary time.
"Incidental activity can also be an efficient way to stay physically active because it doesn't always require a lot of time," says Daley.
"It is important to look for approaches that are less intimidating and easier to implement," adds the academic.
Best of all, the more incidental activity you do throughout the day, the more integrated it will be into your routine over time.
This can be very motivating, says Koemel: "When something becomes ingrained in your lifestyle—even if it came about incidentally—it ends up becoming, by definition, your lifestyle."
That said, I'm going to start moving my legs during meetings, without any qualms.
I may get some strange looks, but I'll know I'm benefiting my health.
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