Incidental physical activity includes housework or walking around the office
Short bursts of light-intensity physical activity, like walking around the office or climbing stairs, can boost fitness levels among obese people, according to a Canadian study. Queen’s University researchers followed 43 men and 92 women who were inactive and abdominally obese, measuring the duration and intensity of movements and testing their cardio-respiratory fitness levels. Participants wore an accelerometer to track how much they moved. A cumulate 30-minute increase in moderate physical activity through the day offered benefits, according to their findings. This was hailed as important, since many people don’t do a strenuous, structured 30-minute workout in the day, or don’t like going to the gym. Instead, health experts could promote other physical activities, like housework, climbing stairs or walking around the office, as helpful.