Study of 20,000 Adults Finds 5-Minute Hourly Walk Best Lifts Mood and Energy
Updated
Updated · mindbodygreen · Jul 3
Study of 20,000 Adults Finds 5-Minute Hourly Walk Best Lifts Mood and Energy
3 articles · Updated · mindbodygreen · Jul 3
Summary
Nearly 20,000 adults in a two-week experiment saw the best balance of mood and energy gains from taking a 5-minute walk every hour, researchers found.
Three schedules all reduced tiredness and improved mood, but 30-minute breaks delivered the biggest gains while proving hardest to maintain, and 120-minute breaks were easiest but weakest.
About half of participants chose the hourly plan, and even with only about four breaks a day on average—short of the target—they still reported measurable benefits.
Work did not appear to suffer: all three schedules produced small average increases in engagement and performance during a study built around an NPR Body Electric challenge.
The findings address a population that spends roughly 11 to 12 hours a day sedentary, a pattern linked to chronic disease, poorer mental health and earlier death.