How long you should sit, stand and exercise each day

We all know that spending less time sitting and more time standing, walking or exercising is beneficial for our health, but exactly how much time per day should we be devoting to each activity? And given that many of us work sitting down, eat our meals sitting down and spend leisure time – such as watching TV or reading a book – sitting down, you might also be wondering how you can balance the 24 hours in each day to make sure you’re doing the right amount of it (Picture: Getty Images)

Well, a study might just have the answer for you. Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia analysed the behaviour of more than 2,000 people aged between 40 and 75 to determine the exact amount of time we should be spending sitting, standing, sleeping and exercising each day for optimal health (Picture: Getty Images/Maskot)

Participants wore thigh monitors to track their activity, which was measured against six markers of health that included waist circumference, glucose measures, and a heart disease and stroke risk score. Unsurprisingly, researchers found that ‘compositions lower in sitting time and with greater standing time, physical activity and sleeping had the most beneficial associations with outcomes’ (Picture: Getty Images)

According to the research, the ideal daily breakdown is: 
• 6 hours of sitting 
• 5 hours and 10 minutes of standing 
• 8 hours and 20 minutes of sleeping 
• 2 hours and 10 minutes of light-intensity physical activity 
• 2 hours and 10 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity 

(Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

If that total of four hours and 20 minutes of exercise per day has alarmed you, don’t panic. The researchers explained that light-intensity physical activity could include household chores or generally moving around the house. Lead author Dr Christian Brakenridge explained to The Sydney Morning Herald: ‘These are activities where you’re just pottering around your house, like walking to the fridge. You’re not really purposefully walking’ (Picture: Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity time is defined as anything that equates to more than 100 steps per minute, which includes a brisk walk. But even so, with many of us working for around eight hours a day, it might not seem possible to meet these markers. Wellness and nutrition expert Penny Weston told Glamour: ‘If you have a mainly sitting job such as at a desk for eight hours a day, or have young children, it can be difficult to fit this much exercise and movement into your day. A lot of people struggle to achieve over eight hours of good-quality sleep a night, every night, so that’s also not completely realistic’ (Picture: Getty Images)

But Brackenridge also pointed out that while the findings offer a breakdown for optimal health, it should only be used as a guide. He added: ‘This 24-hour optimal range is like a compass, it’s something to work towards and it may not be achievable for everyone. But it tells us we have to start thinking about our health in a more integrated and holistic way, incorporating not just exercise but also sleep-life activity and sitting down’ (Picture: Getty Images) This article was originally published in May 2024