13.10 Myth: If I Workout, I Can Sit the Rest of the Day

Even if an individual engages in moderate- or vigorous-intensity exercise in the morning, sitting the rest of their waking hours can still carry health risks. Research indicates that being sedentary is highly correlated with disease risk, independent of exercise (Biswas et al., 2015). This means that people who exercise or are otherwise active for part of the day, but are inactive for most of the rest of the day on a regular basis are still at an increased risk for a variety of diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental disorders. This research reveals that someone who spends a greater portion of the day being active, even at a light intensity, is probably better off than someone who exercises at moderate- to vigorous-intensity for 30 minutes, but sits the rest of the day. Even those who have to sit for long periods while at work or while studying can can help mitigate the risks of sedentary behaviors by making a conscious effort to get up and move around on a somewhat regular basis—whether that’s taking a walk to the water cooler or even around the block, using a restroom on a different floor, or just standing to stretch a bit (Tremblay, Colley, Saunders, Healy, & Owen, 2010; Wilmot et al., 2012).

Overall, trying to be physically active each day and fitting exercise in wherever and whenever possible, even if efforts are minimal, provides the greatest health benefits. For those who are busy or have more time on certain days of the week, research shows that fitting in bouts of physical activity two days per week—sometimes referred to as “the weekend warrior”—does reduce health-related risk compared to remaining sedentary all week (Lee, Sesso, Oguma, & Paffenbarger, 2004).