Obese people who spend their days slumped in a chair could boost their long term fitness by ‘incidental physical activity’ such as a jiggling their legs, making a cup of tea or taking short walks across the office, researchers say.
Just 30 minutes of light exercise is enough to help the heart and lungs, and cut the risk of cardiovascular disease, the study claims.
Scientists at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, monitored the duration and intensity of light physical activity in 43 men and 92 women who were inactive and obese.
The volunteers wore an accelerometer on their right hip for a week to measure how much they moved. The researchers also tested their cardio-respiratory fitness levels.
Healthy option: Getting up to make tea burns calories
Ashlee McGuire, who led the study, said many people failed to exercise for the recommended half an hour every day.
‘It's encouraging to know that if we just increase our incidental activity slightly - a little bit more work around the house, or walking down the hall to speak with a co-worker as opposed to sending an email - we can really benefit our health in the long-term,’ she said.
‘Best of all, these activities don't take up a lot of time, they're not difficult to do, and you don't have to go to a gym.’
Incidental physical activity includes doing housework, climbing stairs, or walking around the office. It can also include fidgeting.
Weighty problem: Obese people sit around for at least two hours longer than those in good shape
Miss McGuire stressed that more physical activity is better – and that fidgeting is no replacement for more vigorous work-outs.
Past studies have shown that fidgeting doesn’t just help the heart, it can also help people lose weight.
One study carried out at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota found that obese people tend to be less fidgety than fat people who spend at least two hours more every day sitting still.
The additional movement of thin people is enough to burn up 350 calories – which could add up to 10 to 30 pounds in body weight each year.
The researchers also found that some people are born with a propensity to be fidgety.
Another study asked volunteers to wear devices that measured how many calories they were burning up while they performed chores using machines and then did the same jobs manually.
The researchers found that washing dishes by hand uses up to 26 more calories, while washing clothes by hand burns off an extra 24 calories.
But although the differences appeared small, they soon added up. In the course of a day, trivial exercise such as walking rather than driving, and washing dishes by hand added up to more than 108 calories. Over a year, that adds up to nearly 40,000 calories. ( dailymail.co.uk )