However, as exercising regularly can not trump the bad effects of sedentary lifestyle, this new study might present some really encouraging information for people who struggle to stop moving when sitting and working.
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Participants were followed up for mortality over an average of 12 years, and the relative risk of mortality was estimated in the high (vs. low) and medium (vs. low) sitting time groups. “So although it might not be possible to sit less during the day due to work commitments, if people fidget at their desk it could be beneficial”.
But while fidgeting may help improve your health, the research team warns that it only plays a small role in the big picture.
According to University of Leeds’ Jane Cade, any kind of movement might have good effects on people who need to sit for extended periods.
Janet Cade, professor of nutritional epidemiology at the University of Leeds, asked 12,778 women between 1999 and 2002 questions about their fidgeting habits as well as their lifestyle choices.
She explains that even those individuals who meet their exercise requirements – let’s say working out at a moderate intensity for 150 minutes per week – yet spend the majority of their remaining waking hours sitting on their keister are still at risk for chronic health issues.
The harmful effects of sitting down for too long are well established, with a series of studies now showing that spending hours in a chair each day can take years off a person’s life.
The findings published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine examined data from the University of Leeds’ UK Women’s Cohort Study, one of the largest cohort studies of diet and health of women in the UK.
In order to reach the findings, the study observed more than 14,000 women from Britain between the age of 35 to 69.
Obesity expert Dr Ian Campbell said: “All movement contributes towards calorie expenditure, which contributes to healthy weight and decreased risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke, and so we live longer”.
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But before you start tapping a pencil and crossing and uncrossing your legs, a couple caveats: The study only looked at the impact on mortality.
