We know that sitting too much can be lethal – there have been numerous studies that have been highly promoted. And we know that federal guidelines call for 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week.

Now, new studies show that even small changes can help. NPR reports on studies showing that Walking 2 Minutes An Hour Boosts Health — but they are quick to caution that little bursts of light activity are not panacea. They discuss a study study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. More than 3,000 participants wore accelerometers to measure the intensity of their activity during the day, looking at “light” activities, like walking around the office, up and down a few flights of stairs, even a short walk to get a cup of coffee. The study showed that even small changes can have a big impact.

“If you’re awake say, 16 hours a day and you move about two minutes every hour, that adds up to 32 minutes a day. Multiply that by five work days, you end up with 160 minutes per work week of light activity. And if you can do more, even better, says Beddhu. “If you can do five minutes every hour, you can actually end up burning 1,000 additional calories a week.” That can decrease fat tissue and help maintain or even lose weight. “

The small changes help, but you still need vigorous exercise each week.

Our TotalCare Wellness Coaches believe in the power of incremental changes to improve health and are experts in helping people identify small changes that can add up.

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