Spend all day sitting? 'Activity snacking' could be the way to improve your heal

Do you have to sit for long periods of the day? You might want to try ‘activity snacking’.

The idea involves adding light movement repeatedly throughout the day – much like snacking on food – to counteract some of the impacts of a sedentary lifestyle.

It sounds like a good idea for most of us, but early research shows this habit could be especially beneficial for people who have type 1 diabetes.

Taking a break from sitting with a short burst of activity can help people better manage their blood sugar levels, according to scientists from the University of Sunderland.

This kind of movement was also shown to reduce the risk of complications associated with the condition, such as heart attacks and strokes.

The findings – which are yet to be peer-reviewed – were presented at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference 2023 in Liverpool and involved 32 participants who were assessed over a two-week period.

Dr Matthew Campbell, principal investigator in cardiovascular and metabolic medicine at the University of Sunderland, said: ‘These results provide the first piece of evidence that simply breaking up prolonged periods of time sitting with light-intensity activity can increase the amount of time spent with blood sugar levels in the target range.

‘Importantly, this strategy does not seem to increase the risk of potentially dangerous blood glucose lows which are a common occurrence with more traditional types of physical activity and exercise.’

How to try ‘activity snacking’

You can build activity snacking into your day by thinking about ways to add it to your current daily routine, or by making small adjustments.

Neil Gibson, senior physical activity advisor at Diabetes UK, told Metro.co.uk: ‘Adding small challenges or goals can help with motivation and remind you to do it. Activities can be done at home, at work or when you travel.’

For example, you could do different physical movements, such as jogging on the spot during TV adverts or chair-based exercises if mobility is an issue.

You can build up the duration and intensity over time, too.

He recommends ‘just about any activity that gets you up and moving can be an activity snack’.

You might opt for stairs instead of a lift, or a quick jog around the block.

He adds: ‘Dancing to the radio or music is also another great way to activity snack as it can be combined with housework or gardening.

‘Options whilst you are at work could be standing at your desk, then adding squats or other movements, arranging walk and talk meetings, moving whilst on the phone or finding a safe spot where you could do a brisk walk along the corridors.

‘Activity snacking ideas whilst travelling could be to park in a car park further away than usual or try getting off public transport a stop earlier and walk the rest of the journey.’

By picking activities that are quick and easy to do, it becomes a more manageable task.

There are loads of benefits to this, Gibson adds, explaining: ‘The activities are simple and free as they don’t require a gym membership or special equipment and they can be adapted to the individual’s requirements for example, made it easier or harder, or suitable for wheelchair users.

‘In terms of health benefits, it can give you an energy boost and help improve your productivity. It can also boost your cardiorespiratory health, improve fitness, and help the body use insulin better by increasing insulin sensitivity.’

Nearly 400,000 people in the UK are living with type 1 diabetes.

The condition occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, leading to high blood sugar levels.

For the study, the participants completed two seven-hour sitting sessions – in one they remained seated for the full seven hours while during the other session, sitting time was broken up with three-minute bouts of light-intensity walking every 30 minutes.

Blood sugar levels were monitored during each session.

The participants were given a set breakfast and lunch, and were asked to stick to the same diet, activity levels and insulin doses over the study period.

Results showed taking regular walking breaks resulted in lower average blood sugar levels (6.9mmol/L) over 48 hours, compared with uninterrupted sitting (8.2mmol/L).

This increased time with blood sugar levels in the target range by 14 percentage points, the researchers said, and did not cause blood sugars to become dangerously low.

Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK, which funded the study, said: ‘Breaking up sitting time with short bursts of activity offers a cost-free way to help people with type 1 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels and potentially reduce their risk of future complications.

‘We look forward to further research to understand the long-term benefits of this approach.’

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