A walk every 30 minutes

Also: Is Biden's boost for nursing homes realistic? [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  June 11, 2024 Hi CommonHealth reader, Maybe you’ve heard about the [Columbia University study]( that found taking a five-minute walk every 30 minutes appeared to reduce the negative effects of sitting in front of a computer all day. It made plenty of headlines last year. Heck, NPR even created a [podcast]( about it. When I first heard this advice, I laughed out loud. I mean, how many people can realistically take a break every 30 minutes? We have meetings to attend, tasks to complete, deadlines to meet. We are busy, people. What’s more, many of us lack control over our daily schedules. It can be hard to manage a couple of scheduled breaks in a work day, let alone a moderate walk every half hour. But the idea wouldn’t get out of my head. Why had I dismissed it so quickly? What if this were the norm? I decided to give it a try. (Luckily my boss is a patient person; he may have raised an eyebrow, but no objections, to my scheme). NPR, which partnered with Columbia researchers to study movement breaks in the real world, recruited more than 20,000 people willing to test them out. Only about 60% completed the study, and most didn’t get all their breaks in. Even so, many participants reported feeling benefits, [according to preliminary findings](. For my personal experiment, I resolved to use no special equipment — no treadmill, no walking pad. Just my legs, the trusty sidewalk and a cell phone for a timer. But when the appointed Monday rolled around, I procrastinated for most of the morning. I read the original research paper, sought advice on how to schedule the walk breaks and stick with the program. No need to jump in blindly, right? By 11 a.m., I was ready to stop delaying. It was hot, but I was undeterred. I slathered on sunscreen and headed for the door. It turns out, five minutes is super short. A few blocks from the house, and already my timer was winding down. I resolved to chart a shorter course for the next break, which came soon enough — because holy moly, 30 minutes isn’t very long either. It was already time to pull on my shoes again. My neighbors were going to think I’d lost it. Around lunchtime, I saw a big orange butterfly. What a treat, but did I mention it was hot out there? I was going to need a better hat. And more sunscreen. The walks eventually came to feel like welcome breaks, a breath of fresh air. But they could also be disruptive. I blew through several that would have interrupted a project or meeting in progress. Being able to walk at my desk might have helped. By mid-afternoon, I'd also feel tired — especially if I’d gone for a jog or spent time at the gym before work. When I decided to stop the walks at 5 p.m., it was a relief to work steadily. Overall, I found it refreshing to consider a different approach to the day — one that increased physical activity, as well as breaks from screens and mental work. In the space of one week, it’s hard to say I noticed physical benefits, but my step count certainly improved, and I may have skipped some snack breaks. Still, I couldn’t escape thoughts of how hard it would be to maintain this in the long term. And without radical changes to many workplaces, it could be accomplished only by those of us privileged enough to set our own schedules, be physically active and spend our days in places where walking or similar activities — indoors or outdoors — are safe and enjoyable. (What would I do if it poured rain? Could five minutes of some other activity suffice?). For those practical reasons, I remain a skeptic. That said, I'm not ready to dismiss the concept after just one week; I may even try it again with walk frequency reduced to once an hour. If you give it a go, don’t forget the sunscreen! And send me a quick note about how you do: elis1@bu.edu. Elisabeth Harrison Managing Editor For News Content Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [FDA advisors strongly back new Alzheimer’s drug, despite risks and limitations]( Advisors to the Food and Drug Administration have recommended unanimously that the agency approve the Alzheimer’s drug donanemab. [Read more.]( [FDA advisors strongly back new Alzheimer’s drug, despite risks and limitations]( Advisors to the Food and Drug Administration have recommended unanimously that the agency approve the Alzheimer’s drug donanemab. [Read more.]( [Once called Nantucket fever, this nasty tick-borne illness is on the rise]( Once called Nantucket fever, the tick-borne illness babesios is spreading from the Northeast into the Midwest. A clinical trial starts this month to see if an anti- malaria drug can treat the disease. 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