5 Scary Things That Happen When You Sit All Day — And How to Counteract Them

Hard to admit, but easy to believe: eight in 10 Americans spend nearly every single minute of their workday sitting behind a desk, according to research published in the journal PLOS One. Yikes.

But "the problems are not with sitting itself, but with passively sitting," says Mark Schneider, a personal trainer at Movement Minneapolis. "Sitting is easy. If it took effort, fewer people would do it. Because of its ease, it's common to do it to excess — and anything done to excess will be detrimental."

As a result, people are burning around 120 to 140 fewer calories per workday than they did in 1960, resulting in a slow creep of weight gain. (This could tally up to about a nine-pound-a-year margin you'll need to burn off.) Even scarier than the scale impact? The health impact. By sitting all day, you're subjecting your body to a whole lot of bad.
1. You Can Say Goodbye to Good Cholesterol After Just 2 Hours of Sitting

Just like a light switch, electrical activity flips off the moment your butt hits the chair. "Calorie burning is significantly reduced and lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that assists with the breakdown of fat, dramatically and rapidly drops," says Dominique Wakefield, a Michigan-based health and fitness expert for the American Council on Exercise (ACE). That enzyme also plays a role in changing low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) to high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol). Sitting for eight or more hours a day — a pretty standard amount of time for people who work desk jobs! — decreases the enzyme's ability to convert bad to good by 95 percent, scientists at The Ohio State University have found.
2. Your Muscles Will Ache — Like, All the Time

Tune in to how you're sitting as you read this paragraph. Wait! Don't move a muscle quite yet. Just sit still. Ask yourself: How does the seat feel? How is your head angled and where are your feet placed? How do the arm rests impact your arm alignment?

"The lack of attention to these things is what causes the problem. Sitting well, so it has minimal negative effects on you, is a skill. And like any skill it will take some effort to learn, but eventually will become habitual," Schneider says.

Be mindful of your posture and adjust alignment as needed, says Jessica Matthews, a personal training expert for ACE who's based in San Diego. "While standing, your ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle should form a straight line with the spine in an 'S' shape, due to its natural curvature. This also applies while in a seated position, except that the ear, shoulder, and hip should align, and the knee and ankle should align."

Until you master pro-level sitting, expect tight hip muscles, increased back and neck pain, and possible breathing difficulties, since the rounded shoulder, tucked chin posture decreases the ability of your ribs to expand, Schneider says.
3. You're 2 ½ Times More Likely to Struggle With Obesity

As mentioned above, while sitting, your calorie-burning potential crawls slower than the wait for the next season of Game of Thrones. In fact, ACE reports you're more than twice as likely to be obese if you sit for six hours per day compared to just 30 minutes per day. Surprisingly, sitting too much is twice as dangerous for your wellbeing as being obese, says a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
4. Your Risk for Cancer, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease Will Climb

Beyond making you gain extra pounds, being too stationary can do a number on your longevity. "Sitting increases risk of death up to 40 percent. Inactivity is killing people and is arguably one of this generation's greatest health threats," Wakefield says. Cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease risks are more stark when overall physical activity levels are low, too, according to a review in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
5. Your Overall Mortality Risk Jumps

Nearly four percent of all deaths can be traced back to sitting too much, says a study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. ACE adds a surprising stat: Sitting less than three hours a day can add two years to your life. On the flip side, sitting for more than six hours and racking up a limited amount of exercise can raise overall risk of death by 94 percent.
Fortunately, You're Not Entirely Screwed If You Have a Desk Job...

Standing up at regular intervals can cut disease risk. "Be sure to frequently adjust your position while sitting for long periods of time to help prevent slouching and other poor postures. Taking a few minutes periodically to get up from your desk and walk around is so beneficial," Matthews says. Schneider recommends aiming for a total of 10,000-13,000 steps per day.

"Our bodies were not meant to sit and be still all day long. Get up every hour. Move your body however you see fit, and stretch twice a day to bring strength to the surrounding muscles and hip joints," says Stephanie Thielen, a personal training expert for ACE.

Also, be sure to get your workout in — this flexibility and strength workout can also balance out the areas that are weakened by super-sized amounts of sitting.

"Judge timing based on your mental ability to focus, about every 45-75 minutes. This will likely be a natural break in your ability to focus and a great time to move around without negatively affecting your work. You might see an increase in productivity, actually," Schneider says.

If you need an extra nudge, set a timer and take a lap around the building each time the alarm rings. Start a competition with co-workers to see who can outstep the rest to stick with the program.

Stretching, standing, and walking can't cure all, though. You need to tally up 60 to 75 minutes of moderately intense activity per day to balance out the wellness woes of sitting eight hours each day, according to a 2016 study in Lancet. (Note: If TV time is five hours or more per day, you're screwed!)

The Flu Is Officially Here and You Need the Vaccine NOW, Experts Say

No more excuses —if you're among the 60% of Americans without this year's flu shot, don't procrastinate any longer. Confirmed cases are surging across the United States, and doctors everywhere are begging people to get vaccinated.

Outpatient visits for flu-like symptoms are officially above the national baseline, and four states are seeing especially high activity: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia and Oklahoma. The virus is also spreading rapidly in New York City and Puerto Rico. "It definitely looks like flu season is here," CDC epidemiologist Lynnette Brammer told WebMD

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Although experts recommend getting vaccinated in the fall, it's not too late. "While seasonal flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, activity usually peaks between December and February and can last through May," pediatrician Anna Baldino wrote on Philly.com. That means you still have plenty of opportunities to become a sniffling, sneezing mess.

As for that rumor about contracting the flu from the shot, have no fear. "The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu because the virus it contains is inactive," Baldino said. And if you got immunized last year: no dice. Only the most recent edition offers optimal protection against not-so-great symptoms like a fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches.

Weekend Workouts Are As Beneficial As Daily Exercise, Says Study

If you struggle to find the time to work out during the working week, this news should be reassuring. According to a recent study, cramming in exercise sessions at the weekends is enough to provide significant health benefits.

Researchers from Loughborough University and the University of Sydney found that "weekend warriors" reduced their risk of an early death by a similar amount to those who spread the same amount of exercise over seven days, the BBC reports.

The results, which were based on a survey of around 64,000 adults aged over 40 in England and Scotland, compared those who exercise with people who remain inactive. They showed that those who worked out on one or two days of the week were found to lower their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 41 percent and cancer by 18 percent. There was little contrast with those who exercised regularly on three or more days per week, who reduced their risks by 41 percent and 21 percent.

For study author Dr Gary O'Donovan, the findings highlight the importance of ensuring fitness is "purposeful," which should be welcome news for those with busy lifestyles.

"Millions of people enjoy doing sport once or twice a week, but they may be concerned that they are not doing enough," O'Donovan told the Guardian. "We find a clear benefit. It's making them fit and healthy."

NHS guidelines state that in order to stay healthy, adults aged 19-64 should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week, such as cycling or fast walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running or tennis.

Hot Toddies Are Better For Your Cold Than Cough Syrup

Winter colds are a bitch. It's already freezing outside and then your head has to fill up with congestion, your throat gets dry and scratchy, and a barking cough gives you sore abs. Obviously you want to cut this torture as short as possible, but turning to cough medicine might not be the answer. Instead, you should be looking to booze.

YouTube channel Reactions breaks down every active ingredient in standard cough syrups, going over their purpose but questions their effectiveness. The team behind this science-driven series also looked at 19 different studies to find that 15 of them either stated the medicine resulted in no benefit or the results were conflicting. What's more, one review concluded "they are no better than a placebo." Say what?! Why have we been shelling out so much cash on ineffective meds?

While we can't get your money back, we can confirm that age-old tactics like drinking lots of water do, in fact, help you kick your cough. It helps dilute and loosen the mucus your lungs are trying to dislodge. But the best method might be sipping some whiskey—with honey and lemon, that is. That's right a hot toddy is your best bet for beating a winter cold because the honey will soothe your sore throat, the steam will open up your sinuses, and the booze will help you sleep. Now start mixing one up!

These Are the Healthiest and Unhealthiest Fast-Food Kids' Meals

According to The American Heart Association, kids between 4 and 8 years old should eat approximately 1200-1400 calories per day, while 9- through 13-year-olds should eat 1600-1800. (The recommendations vary based on height, weight, and other factors, of course.) While we would love to stick to those guidelines and feed our children healthy food all the time, it's not always possible—especially on the go. But a trip through the drive-thru doesn't have to mean filling up on French fries. Many notoriously unhealthy restaurants have actually made very positive changes to their menus.

We rounded up the healthiest (and unhealthiest) menu options at seven popular fast-food chains. While our selections are based primarily on the number of calories per meal, we've included links to the full breakdown of nutritional information.

McDonald's

Healthiest Meal: 280 calories

Chicken McNuggets, apple dippers, and apple juice

Unhealthiest Meal: 540 calories

Cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk

Read the additional nutritional information.

Dairy Queen

 

Healthiest Meal: 360 calories

Kid's grilled chicken wrap, banana, water bottle

Unhealthiest Meal: 900 calories

Hamburger, fries, milk, and kid's ice cream cone

Read the additional nutritional information.

KFC

 

Healthiest Meal: 205 calories

Grilled drumstick, green beans, apple sauce, and Capri Sun.

Unhealthiest Meal: 650 calories

Chicken Little, mac 'n cheese, apple sauce, and 1% milk.Read the additional nutritional information.

Wendy's

 

 

Healthiest Meal: 295 calories

Chicken nuggets, apple slices, and low-fat milk

Unhealthiest Meal: 650 calories

Cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milkRead the additional nutritional information

Chick-fil-A

.

Healthiest Meal: 205 calories

Grilled nuggets, milk, and a fruit cup

Unhealthiest Meal: 700 calories

Chicken strips, chocolate milk, and fries

Read the additional nutritional information.

Your Pre-Pregnancy Blood Pressure May Determine the Sex of Your Baby, Study Says

Crazy cravings, the shape of your belly, and other myths have proven to be unreliable clues in figuring out the sex of your baby, but now scientists think one piece of health information may actually be useful.

A woman's blood-pressure level before conception may be a predictor of the sex of the baby she'll deliver, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Hypertension. Though the data doesn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship, there's a strong link between particular levels and giving birth to a girl or boy.

Scientists found that women had who higher systolic blood pressure before becoming pregnant (a mean of 106 mmHg) tended to have boys, while women who had a lower blood pressure level (a mean of 103 mmHg) tended to deliver girls. This new information suggests that the mother's blood-pressure level may be a sign that something about her body makes it possible for her to carry a boy or girl to term.

The study analyzed blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol, and glucose levels of more than 1,400 married women in Liuyang, China, around an average of 26.3 weeks before they became pregnant. "The only thing that was related was blood pressure, but blood pressure was strongly related," said study co-author Ravi Retnakaran, M.D., an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

While the findings are fascinating, researchers need to do further studies to prove that a mother's blood pressure can affect the sex of her baby. "One of the things we don't want is for people to look at this and think, 'Oh, we can manipulate the blood pressure before pregnancy and thereby change the chances of having a boy or a girl.' We definitely are not saying that, because we are not showing cause and effect," Retnakaran said. "I think the way to look at this is that it may be telling us something very new about [our] physiology."

Salmon Consumers Have No Reason to Fear Contamination, Says Study Author

Update, 1/18/2017: According to Edelman Seattle, the PR company that represents Alaskan Seafood, media coverage of a study on tapeworm contamination in salmon fished on the West Coast has been inaccurate.

Dr. Jayde Ferguson, a co-author of the original study and scientist at Alaska Department of Fish and Game claims that the intent behind the study was distorted: "The study has been misinterpreted. The study wasn't designed for and shouldn't be relied on for food safety guidance."

Ferguson's team's study intended to highlight a new genetic method for identifying different tape worm, he claimed, not to expose contamination. "There is no indication that this is a consumer concern," he said.

Several facts from our original story require correction. They are as following:
The CDC never issued a warning. The study was published in the CDC's monthly journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases, but did not caution consumers.
Salmon leaving Alaska is rarely transported on ice. Only 6% of salmon leaving Alaska is fresh. The rest (94%) is frozen according to FDA guidelines. The FDA recommends freezing seafood at -4°F for seven days before consuming.
Only pink salmon — not all salmon off the Pacific coast — were affected. The study examined four other species of salmon (chinook, coho, sockeye and rainbow trout), none of which were contaminated.
The pink salmon that was contaminated was not fished for commercial use. Basically, the salmon analyzed in the study were never intended for consumption and were not fished in areas where commercial fish boats harvest. Commercial pink salmon is always sold to consumers canned or frozen.

We apologize for any misrepresented data or inaccuracies in the original story.

Original, 1/12/2017: If you were thinking about ordering some salmon tonight, we're going to ask you to hold the phone. According to a study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's monthly journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, scientists have discovered Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense — more affectionately known as the Japanese broad tapeworm — worms and larvae in Alaskan wild salmon and are now claiming that salmon caught anywhere off the Pacific coast could be contaminated.

Gross, but if you don't live on the West Coast — or in the U.S. for that matter — you're good, right? Unfortunately, the salmon-tapeworm problem is much more pervasive; wild Alaskan salmon, once caught, are typically transported on ice (not frozen, which kills tapeworms) to major corners of the world, including restaurants throughout the U.S. So, you could be in Boson and still be at risk.

Scientists know very little about Japanese broad tapeworms, but do know that they're related to another species, Diphyllobothrium latum, which can grow up to 30 feet long (gulp). D. latum tapeworms were thought to be responsible for the 1986 outbreak that resulted in 2,000 tapeworm infections across Japan, South Korea and the Pacific coast of Russia. Turns out, those scientists were wrong — it's been the Japanese broad tapeworm, all along.

While most infected people are asymptomatic, be on the lookout if you experience any abdominal discomfort, nausea, loose stool or inexplicable weight loss. In more severe cases, where the infection is larger, intestinal obstructions occur. If that's happening to you, you'll know.

The good news is that it's fairly easy to tell if you have a tapeworm. "The reason you know you have tapeworms is you look in your stool and you find bits of tapeworm floating in the water," Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicinem, told CNN. Nope, it's not pleasant, but a quick glance down is all it takes. No weird floating worm segments in your number two? No problem.

If you do? Take a sample and go straight to your doctor. Treatment is usually swift and effective.

Tapeworm infection has been clinically rare in the U.S., but this new study suggests that we might be at greater risk than previously anticipated. To avoid an infection entirely, the CDC recommends consuming only adequately frozen or cooked fish — cooking or baking fresh fish on 145 degrees Fahrenheit for four or five minutes denatures the worm, and its larvae, entirely, claims Dr. Patrick Okolo, chief of gastroenterology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

How are we only discovering this now, you ask? "Because we do things that we haven't done before," explained Schaffner, like transport fresh fish over great distances, where they're consumed raw.Diagnostic measures have also advanced significantly over the last few decades. "The tapeworm itself is probably not new — it's just that more skilled parasitologists started looking for it," Jayde Ferguson, a co-author of the study and scientist at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, told CNN. "Identifying these parasites is challenging.

After 3 Miscarriages, I Found Out I Was Pregnant Again. Then I Was Diagnosed With Zika.

After Zika exploded into an epidemic in Puerto Rico early last year, U.S. lawmakers fought for nine months about funding to stop the spread of the virus. At the center of the battle: a proposal that targeted Planned Parenthood and denied its clinics on the cash-strapped island from receiving any money to address the crisis. But pregnancies and babies don't wait for politicians. As Washington emptied out for summer vacation without an agreement, 34-year-old Adriana visited her doctor in San Juan to confirm what a home test had already told her. She was pregnant. Again. All of Adriana's previous pregnancies ended in miscarriage, but she and her husband remained hopeful about having a child. But during her first trimester, she found out she had been infected by Zika, which could cause devastating birth defects.

According to health officials, as of July, Zika was infecting up to 50 pregnant women a day in Puerto Rico and accumulating a growing list of potential birth defects — microcephaly, seizures, facial abnormalities, feeding and vision problems. There is no doubt that politicians played fast and loose with women's and children's health on the island over the past year. And with Donald Trump as incoming president, there's no certainty in the future. Trump has spoken out vehemently against women's reproductive health rights, threatened access to abortion, and denied climate change, a factor increasingly connected to human health and infectious diseases – especially mosquito-borne diseases like Zika.

Last year, I traveled to Puerto Rico with photojournalist Ed Kashi and health expert Mildred Rivera to begin filming a documentary that connects the dots between climate change and women's health. When we met in San Juan, Adriana was three months pregnant, and she didn't know what her diagnosis would mean for her and for her baby. She did know that she would have to make a choice between continuing her pregnancy or having an abortion — and that a fully informed decision would be impossible. She asked me to use a pseudonym due to the stigma around abortion, as she did not want her friends and family to know she was considering the procedure.

I've been trying to get pregnant for four years. Every year for three years — 2013, 2014, 2015 — I had miscarriages. This year, I wanted to try again. It was right in the middle of the Zika scare and the government was telling women not to get pregnant. Of course, no one ever mentions anything to the men. I didn't realize I was doing this alone!

When the government said, "Don't get pregnant because of Zika," we kept trying anyway. My husband and I weren't thinking about the government. We were thinking about us. All we were focused on was how much we wanted to start a family and trying to put an end to the intense sadness we were feeling.

Of course, I was happy when I got pregnant again. But I was also nervous.

About five weeks in, I had a rash, headache. My hands were aching. I thought, Is this my body's version of morning sickness? When my doctor told me I had to be tested for Zika, I didn't think too much about it. Every pregnant woman is being tested in the first and second trimesters. This is the way it is now in Puerto Rico. We're used to mosquito diseases here — and compared to dengue, which can kill you, a little rash and headache from Zika didn't seem like much to worry about.

My biggest concern was miscarrying again. All of my miscarriages happened before eight weeks, and I just kept thinking, Make it to eight weeks, make it to eight weeks, make it to eight weeks. When I did, it felt like entering some magical land. For the first time, I was feeling hopeful.

Then, at nine weeks — the longest I'd ever carried a baby — I got the news. Zika. I tested positive for Zika. When you ask what that means, they terrorize you with the answer: My symptoms might be mild, but what the virus can do to my baby … the birth defects it can cause…

I told my mom and she was hysterical. She said, "Why is this happening to you?" I said, "I don't know, Mommy."

I'm not sure if anyone is aware of the mental health issues raised for a pregnant woman worried about having a healthy baby. Sometimes I can't think straight. I was thinking about this constantly, waking up at 2 in the morning crying. I cried so much. The message is out there, "My baby is coming with birth defects."

My doctor told me again and again, "Have faith. Just have faith." I couldn't believe it. Faith? Stop talking to me about faith! Talk to me about science.

I'm a social worker and just today, I had to tell someone she has AIDS. Zika is like HIV was in the '80s; there are so many questions and so few answers. That's really scary.

I was desperate for answers. The government tells people to avoid Zika by staying in air conditioning, keeping screens on the windows, and reapplying repellant every three to four hours. I have A/C. I have screens in my windows. I have OFF in my purse. But I got it anyway.

When you have it, they just tell you the bad news and refer you to a specialist. That's it. When I got to the specialist, they didn't want to see me. They said, "Come back when you're 18 weeks. Then we can see if there's something wrong with the baby's head." They were totally focused on microcephaly, which is like the most extreme problem a baby [exposed to Zika] can have. I'd been reading about lots of other neurological problems that can happen, and I refused to leave until someone would talk to me. Finally, the sonogram nurse came out, and we just stood in the hallway and talked.

She told me about what happened in Brazil. How so many babies exposed to Zika were being born with microcephaly. She said that it wasn't just Zika that caused microcephaly cases there but dual exposure — exposure to Zika and to the pesticide to control the mosquitoes that carry Zika. How ironic and terrible is that?

My mom lives in Florida. She's getting married next month, and I can't go because I can't travel to places where pesticides are being sprayed to stop Zika. In Fort Lauderdale, they're spraying with pesticides, and I can't risk that dual exposure.

[Editor's note: Pyriproxyfen is the insecticide that was sprayed and added to drinking water in Brazil, and studies linking it to microcephaly have since been refuted by other scientists — most compellingly because three cities at the epicenter of the Brazilian Zika/microcephaly crisis were not using the insecticide at all. Naled — banned by the European Union — is the insecticide sprayed in Florida. When the CDC recommended spraying Naled in Puerto Rico, widespread protests about its toxicity broke out and shut the program down. The organic larvicide Bti was used in Puerto Rico instead.]

My husband and I have had the abortion conversation. I've spoken with someone who can perform it, and after that conversation, I knew I needed to clear my mind. I had to make a choice and be firm in my choice. Could I live with my decision? I've been thinking about terminating early because Zika is a risk no matter what and the longer I wait, the harder the decision becomes. But could I live with the idea of terminating at 12 weeks just having a Zika diagnosis and not knowing if my baby has any birth defects? Or could I better accept the consequences of the decision if I waited until week 18, so that my decision would be based on more certainty?

My husband keeps telling me, "I just want you to be OK."

The bottom line is it's a risk to keep a baby with a Zika diagnosis. But something the sonogram nurse said stuck with me, "If it is a desired baby, wait."

Today, when I gave that woman the HIV diagnosis, I didn't just say, "Hey you're positive, here's a referral." I gave her information about what to expect every step of the way and talked to her about how to access other support services. For Zika, there is no guidance. There is no support. So, I tried to build my own support network. I met with three therapists and that made a huge difference for me. It was like a light went off in this very dark place. And I did a #zika search on Facebook for pregnant women in Puerto Rico. I wanted to find someone like me — someone in her first trimester positive for Zika — who I could share my feelings and experiences with. That's how I met Leslie. I'm so grateful to have her in my life — to be able to talk with her, cry with her.

Leslie and I are dealing with the exact same thing. But we're making different decisions. I've decided that if there's a problem, I am not going to continue the pregnancy. She told me that she's going to keep her baby no matter what. I respect her decision and I understand it. It's just not the decision for me.

If I terminate, I know it's huge physically and emotionally. But I also know that stress can impact babies too. This is something mothers are thinking about. If you're stressed out, it's not good for your baby.

Now, what do I do while I wait? I'm trying to control what I can control. I eat well. I get enough sleep. I avoid negative thinking. I'm trying to advocate for myself and I decided I could advocate for others.

It began with my doctor telling me to wear condoms. What he meant was that my husband should wear condoms! Because Zika can also be spread through sex — from a man to a woman or a woman to man. If I got Zika from a mosquito, I don't want to pass it to him. Of course, it's possible he passed it to me. So, my doctor tells me — and probably lots of other women — to wear condoms. But guess what? There were no condoms in his office! So, I brought in lots of condoms and put them in the bathroom. Condoms in a jar at the registration desk aren't very effective because people will really only take condoms in private.

The more I've analyzed my situation with Zika, the more I compare it to HIV. Eventually, drugs were developed to keep HIV from spreading from mothers to babies. But there's nothing like that yet for Zika. We are living in the unknown. There's nothing I want more than to have a baby and start a family. I hope I can go forward, but even if I can, and everything seems fine at birth, doctors will be studying the baby for three years. And who knows — maybe three years will turn into five or 15. Because even doctors don't really know what to expect.

This is what pregnancy is like with Zika.

Postscript from Adriana in her seventh month of pregnancy: "I have good news! The doctor told me the baby doesn't have any signs of Zika — no signs of microcephaly. I know what's being said about possibilities for long-term problems, but I'm thinking about the positive things. I'm feeling very calm and very happy. Very, very happy."

Beth Murphy is the director of films at The GroundTruth Project and founder of Principle Pictures. She is directing and producing a series of films with GroundTruth film fellows focused on the impact of climate change on women and children as part of the global journalism project "Living Proof: The Human Toll of Climate Change."

How Your Sunday Afternoon Walk Could Benefit Your Health More Than You Think

If you struggle to find the time to work out during the week, this news should be reassuring. According to a recent study, cramming in exercise sessions at the weekend is enough to provide significant health benefits. Thank you, lovely Sunday afternoon walk.

Researchers from Loughborough University and the University of Sydney found that 'weekend warriors,' as they named them, reduced their risk of an early death by a similar amount to those who spread the same amount of exercise over seven days, the BBC reports.

The results, which were based on a survey of around 64,000 adults aged over 40 in England and Scotland, compared those who exercise with people who remain inactive.

They showed that those who worked out on one or two days of the week were found to lower their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 41% and cancer by 18%. There was little contrast with those who exercised regularly on three or more days per week, who reduced their risks by 41% and 21%.

For study author Dr Gary O'Donovan, the findings highlight the importance of ensuring fitness is "purposeful", which should be welcome news for those with busy lifestyles.

"Millions of people enjoy doing sport once or twice a week, but they may be concerned that they are not doing enough," O'Donovan told the Guardian. "We find a clear benefit. It's making them fit and healthy."

NHS guidelines state that, in order to stay healthy, adults aged 19-64 should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week, such as cycling or fast walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running or tennis.

This is great news for our weekly Sunday walks.

This 21-Day Walking Plan Will Help the Pounds Melt Away

This beginner-friendly workout, designed by Galina Denzel, a certified personal trainer and the coauthor of Eat Well, Move Well, Live Well, offers a challenge for each week. In 21 days, you'll lose weight, rev your energy, and build lean muscle. Follow the plan and use these keys to guide your workout.

• Easy: Should feel like a stroll

• Moderate: Pace increases, but you can still hold a conversation

• Brisk: Talking should be tough

Week 1: Increase Your Time 

 

Split up your walk into two parts—one in the morning and one at night (or other time slots that work for you). Walk at an easy-to-moderate pace for all.

Week 2: Change Your Pace 

 

Varying the speed and intensity of your walk is an easy— and effective—way to burn more fat and calories. This week, focus on using your arms (keep elbows at sides as you swing back and forth) to propel you during the brisk portions.

Week 3: Add Strength

You don't need equipment or weights to strength-train. Using your body as resistance, finding stairs and walking at an incline will help you work a whole new set of muscles in your body.