Effect of frequent interruptions of prolonged sitting on self-perceived levels of energy, mood, food cravings and cognitive function

Abstract

BackgroundWhile physical activity has been shown to improve cognitive performance and well-being, office workers are essentially sedentary. We compared the effects of physical activity performed as (i) one bout in the morning or (ii) as microbouts spread out across the day to (iii) a day spent sitting, on mood and energy levels and cognitive function.MethodsIn a randomized crossover trial, 30 sedentary adults completed each of three conditions: 6 h of uninterrupted sitting (SIT), SIT plus 30 min of moderate-intensity treadmill walking in the morning (ONE), and SIT plus six hourly 5-min microbouts of moderate-intensity treadmill walking (MICRO). Self-perceived energy, mood, and appetite were assessed with visual analog scales. Vigor and fatigue were assessed with the Profile of Mood State questionnaire. Cognitive function was measured using a flanker task and the Comprehensive Trail Making Test. Intervention effects were tested using linear mixed models.ResultsBoth ONE and MICRO increased self-perceived energy and vigor compared to SIT (p < 0.05 for all). MICRO, but not ONE, improved mood, decreased levels of fatigue and reduced food cravings at the end of the day compared to SIT (p < 0.05 for all). Cognitive function was not significantly affected by condition.ConclusionsIn addition to the beneficial impact of physical activity on levels of energy and vigor, spreading out physical activity throughout the day improved mood, decreased feelings of fatigue and affected appetite. Introducing short bouts of activity during the workday of sedentary office workers is a promising approach to improve overall well-being at work without negatively impacting cognitive performance.Trial registration NCT02717377, registered 22 March 2016.

Sitting/lying time is associated with waist‐to‐hip increase but not with body weight increase or blood cardiovascular risk factors changes in adult women living in social vulnerability: A 2‐year longitudinal study

“…Besides, skeletal muscle activity has long been associated with increased epinephrine secretion (Kjaer, Christensen, Sonne, Richter, & Galbo, ). Bergouignan, Legget, De Jong, et al () reported that urinary epinephrine concentration increased from 6.5 μg/g to 8.0 μg/g in individuals performing microbouts of 5‐minute moderate walking to break sedentary time when compared with sedentary individuals. Although statistical significance was not reached, epinephrine concentration was not the primary outcome of the trial, which may indicate that the secretion of this hormone increase with reduced sitting time.…”

Effects of cycle and treadmill desks on energy expenditure and cardiometabolic parameters in sedentary workers: review and meta-analysis

“…In total, 622 participants took part (229 males, 311 females, 82 unidentified). One study was a RCT [35], one study was of a non-randomized parallel group design [36] and 20 studies were CO in design [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]. Seven studies evaluated a cycling intervention, 13 studies evaluated a walking intervention and two studies evaluated both types of intervention (see Supplementary File 2).…”

“…The heart rate measured during worktime in the studies varied from 77 to 110.6 bpm in the intervention group and from 71 to 82 bpm in the control group. Studies evaluating the daily heart rate [38,46] observed a mean value of 78-80 bpm in the intervention group and 70-72 bpm in the control group. The pooled effect size showed a significant increase in heart rate (SMD = 1.68, 95% CI [1.13, 2.23], p < 0.001, I 2 = 91%) in the intervention group.…”

The Contribution of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to the Understanding of the Effects of Acute Physical Exercise on Cognition

“…For instance, sedentary behavior [9,10] and physical inactivity [11,12] are associated with worsened cognitive functions and a higher risk of neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., dementia) in the aging population [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. In order to avoid periods of prolonged physical inactivity and sedentary behavior (e.g., sedentism during office working day), it is advised to take physical activity breaks ( [23][24][25]. There is substantial evidence in the literature showing that acute (single) bouts of physical exercise (defined as planned and structured form of distinct physical activities [26][27][28][29]) Figure 1.…”