Turns out even if you move all day at work, it’s still not enough to keep you healthy

Although sedentary lifestyles are significant contributors to cardiovascular disease (CVD), a new study suggests regular physical activity during the day may not be enough on its own to reduce one’s risk for heart problems.

When physical activity isn’t enough

The research was published in the European Heart Journal. In it, researchers made several important distinctions between the kinds of movement that actually yield benefits to cardiovascular health.

The authors determined that occupational movement (movement routinely performed during physically demanding jobs) isn’t nearly as advantageous as traditional exercise regimens with respect to general health markers.

In fact, participants who worked these kinds of professions actually evidenced a higher risk for CVD compared to members of the study pool who adhered to more leisurely work duties.

As previously reported by Ladders, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) appeared to staff the most profound health benefits for the participants featured in the latest report. The jobs with the highest risk

“Leisure time physical activity associates with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, while these relationships for occupational physical activity are unclear. We tested the hypothesis that leisure time physical activity associates with reduced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality risk, while occupational physical activity associates with increased risks,” the authors wrote in the new paper.

“We studied 104 046 women and men aged 20–100 years in the Copenhagen General Population Study with baseline measurements in 2003–2014 and median 10-year follow-up. Both leisure and occupational physical activity were based on self-report with four response categories.”

Each participant additionally had their physical and behavioral health (smoking, drinking status, resting heart/blood pressure rate) assessed at the start of the analysis in order to establish a baseline. Each was subsequently tracked for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, which subsumes stroke or heart attack).

Participants who reported high leisure activity levels demonstrated a reduced MACE-related early death and incidence by roughly 40% compared to those with low activity levels. The moderate work activity was associated with a 13% risk decrease for the same markers.

However, high and very high levels of occupational activity were associated with a 15% to 35% risk increase for cardiovascular issues, including early death.

Occupational activity, more often than not, induces stress on our muscles and heart system. Moreover, this kind of physical activity tends to not only be strenuous but also performed over long periods of time. Independent of the present research, physically demanding jobs often correlate with increased emotional and economic stress.

The best workouts for heart health

HIIT, on the other hand, provides adequate amounts of movement to the right biological systems.

Below are some of the most effective HIIT workouts.

• Hand-Release Push-Ups: Start in a standard push-up position, and lower your body all the way down to the floor. … 
• Plyo Push-Ups: Performed with hands on the floor, placed wider than shoulder-width apart and with your feet together. Next, keep your back flat, slowly lower your body toward the ground.
• Russian Twists: Create a V shape with your torso and thighs while sitting. Reach your arms straight out in front, interlacing your fingers, and then use your abdominals to twist to the right, then back to center, and then to the left

“Physical activity is a strong preventive measure of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. However, recent studies have observed that the potential health effect of physical activity depends on the domain in which it is performed. While leisure time physical activity (e.g. sports, recreation, and transportation) is well documented to be beneficially associated with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, then occupational physical activity is not consistently reported to associate with improved health,” the authors concluded.