JUST 22 minutes of daily exercise could undo the health damage of a desk job or lounging on the sofa, a study suggests.
Experts at the Arctic University of Norway found sitting down for 12 hours a day raises the risk of an early death 38 per cent compared to eight hours.
AlamyBrisk walking or hiking counts as moderate exercise[/caption]
But getting up and exercising for 22 minutes can wipe out the added danger, they said.
It matches NHS advice which says people should exercise for at least 150 minutes per week.
Most Brits spend at least nine hours a day sat down and it is likely much longer for office workers.
Study author Dr Edvard Sagelv said: “In our study, every minute more of moderate to vigorous physical activity showed a lower risk of death.
“Doing 22 minutes eliminated the higher risk of death from sedentary time.
“And if doing more than 22 minutes per day, there was a lower risk of death overall.
“Basically, the more the better.”
People who spent more time sitting got a greater benefit from the exercise, the study found.
It showed every 10 minutes lowered early death risk by 15 per cent of those sitting for less than 10.5 hours, and by 35 per cent for those who sat for longer.
Dr Sagelv used activity tracking data from around 12,000 over-50s in Norway, Sweden and the US.
Moderate and vigorous activity could include:
Tiring chores
Carrying heavy shopping
Gardening
Brisk walking or hiking
Jogging
Cycling
Swimming
Lifting weights or resistance bands
Dancing
Tennis
Writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Dr Sagelv added: “Small amounts of physical activity may be an effective strategy to mitigate the mortality risk from high sedentary time.”
Regina Giblin, from the British Heart Foundation, added: “Walking away from your computer screen at regular intervals, going for a walk or cooking a healthy meal from scratch are ways to incorporate active time into your day.”