Best strategies for reducing prolonged sitting

September, 2015

A review of trials of interventions that sought to reduce sitting time has found the following strategies, among others, were 'promising':

  • having sit-stand desks at work
  • keeping records of your sitting time
  • setting individual goals for limiting sitting time
  • having prompts and cues to remind you to stop sitting
  • learning about the health benefits of reducing sitting time
  • getting feedback on your behavior
  • restructuring your physical and social environment to support the behavior changes
  • practising the new behavior
  • working out how to solve any problems that arise from shifting to less sitting time
  • having social support.

The researchers did note that the overall standard of the studies was poor, so we can't yet point to any clear strategy, but these provide a guide for action. They also noted that the more promising interventions involved a greater number of strategies — in other words, to be successful, you need to tackle this behavior change from a number of angles.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/kcl-sft092115.php

Gardner, B., Smith, L., Lorencatto, F., Hamer, M., & Biddle, S. J. (2016). How to reduce sitting time? A review of behaviour change strategies used in sedentary behaviour reduction interventions among adults. Health Psychology Review, 10(1), 89–112. http://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2015.1082146

Related News

Moderate intensity exercise can benefit memory performance

Data from a publicly available database of 1206 MRI brain scans from the Human Connectome Project has revealed that physical fitness is associated with better brain structure and brain functioning in young adults.

A study in which 64 sedentary older adults (aged 60-88) participated in a 12-week exercise program found that those who engaged in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) saw an improvement of up to 30% in memory performance while participants who engaged in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise s

A small study involving 12 very fit older adults (aged 50-80; average age 61) found that, after stopping their exercise routines for 10 days, there was a significant decrease in blood flow to several brain regions, including the

A study involving 30 previously physically inactive older adults (aged 61-88) found that a three-month exercise program reversed some brain atrophy.

A long-running study following 387 Australian women found that regular exercise in middle age was the best lifestyle change they could make to prevent cognitive decline in their later years.

Memories are made through a synaptic-strengthening process called

A Canadian study involving 45,522 adults (30+) found that higher levels of physical activity, eating more fruits and vegetables, and having a BMI in the normal weight or overweight range were each associated with better cognitive function in both younger and older adults.

A rat study comparing different forms of exercise has found that running was much more effective than HIIT or resistence training in generating new brain cells.

A large study, involving nearly 14,000 older adults (50+) participating in the 2006 Health and Retirement Study, found that weaker handgrip strength was associated with a greater risk of developing cognitive impairment, especially severe impairment, over the eight-year study period.

Pages

Subscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest health newsSubscribe to Latest news
Error | About memory

Error

The website encountered an unexpected error. Please try again later.