Sitting Breaks for Sedentary Lifestyle

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Stanford University

Must not be taking: Insulin, Glucose lowering

Disqualifiers: Cardiac symptoms, Dizziness, Insulin dependence, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

Duration: 8 weeks

40 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to determine how two types of short activity breaks during a workday can benefit people with sedentary (mostly sitting) jobs. Participants will either perform quick strength exercises (Strength Breaks) or take short walks (Walk Breaks) throughout their day. The goal is to identify which type of activity break might be more beneficial for improving health. Individuals with desk jobs who can safely perform exercises like squats and lunges and are not already taking planned activity breaks at work might be suitable candidates.

As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity to contribute to understanding the benefits of activity breaks for desk workers.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but you cannot participate if you are on insulin or any glucose-lowering medication.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown that short exercise breaks, like strength breaks, are safe for people who sit frequently. These "exercise snacks," brief bursts of activity, effectively and safely improve fitness in typically inactive individuals. Studies on physical activity, such as taking breaks from sitting, generally indicate no harm. While minor injuries can occur, they are uncommon.

The same applies to walk breaks. Walking, especially in short, controlled sessions, is a low-risk activity and is generally well-tolerated, even by those unaccustomed to being active. Both strength and walk breaks offer a safe way to mitigate the negative effects of sitting without causing significant issues. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Sitting Breaks for Sedentary Lifestyle trial because it explores innovative ways to combat the negative effects of prolonged sitting. Unlike traditional advice which often suggests extended exercise sessions, this trial introduces "Strength Snacks" and "Walk Snacks." Strength Snacks offer brief, focused strength exercises that can be done during the workday, providing a new approach to integrating physical activity without needing extra time outside of work hours. Meanwhile, Walk Snacks involve short, manageable walk breaks, making it easier for individuals to incorporate movement into their daily routines. These methods could provide practical, accessible solutions for reducing sedentary behavior, potentially leading to significant health benefits without major lifestyle disruptions.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for reducing the negative impacts of a sedentary lifestyle?

This trial will compare two types of activity breaks for individuals with a sedentary lifestyle. Participants in one group will take short breaks to do strength exercises, known as "Strength Snacks." Research has shown that these breaks can boost muscle strength and fitness, as well as help control blood sugar and blood pressure.

In another group, participants will take "Walk Snacks," which are short, brisk walking breaks. Research suggests that these walking breaks can effectively lower blood sugar spikes after meals and improve heart health. Both strength and walking breaks offer promising ways to make a sedentary lifestyle healthier by incorporating simple, effective movement into daily routines. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for over-30s with sedentary jobs who can safely do squats and lunges, aren't on a strength program or taking work breaks for activity, have a smartphone, speak English, and are not on insulin/glucose-lowering meds. Those with certain health risks or in other studies can't join.

Inclusion Criteria

My job involves mostly sitting, like office work.

Able to safely perform bodyweight squats and lunges

Not currently doing a strength training program

Exclusion Criteria

Yes to any of the physical activity readiness criteria questionnaire (e.g. cardiac symptoms with increasing heart rate, dizziness upon performing exercise)

Participating in another research study on diet, weight loss, or any physical activity

If their doctor has ever said to not strength train

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Baseline Assessment

In-person strength assessments and baseline measurements including oral glucose tolerance tests, diet tracking, and genome with saliva

1 week

1 visit (in-person)

Treatment

Participants engage in 2-minute activity breaks (either strength or walk snacks) 4 times per day for 8 weeks

8 weeks

Daily tracking

Follow-up

Post-intervention assessments including strength, endurance, glucose monitoring, and diet tracking

1 week

1 visit (in-person)

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Strength Breaks
• Walk Breaks

Trial Overview The study compares two types of 2-minute breaks from sitting during the workday: 'Strength Breaks' involving bodyweight exercises like squats and lunges versus 'Walk Breaks' where participants simply walk around.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Strength Snacks Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will do 4 strength snacks throughout each work day, 2 of them post-prandial if possible.

Group II: Walk Snacks Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants will take 4 x2 minute walk breaks throughout the sedentary workday, two of them post-prandial if possible.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Stanford University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2,527

Recruited

17,430,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

In a review of over 5,500 participants from 11 physical activity interventions, no serious study-related adverse events were reported, indicating a high level of safety in these exercise programs.

While minor musculoskeletal injuries were noted, the studies emphasized a 'start low and go slow' approach, suggesting that moderate-intensity physical activity is safe and effective for sedentary, chronically ill, or older populations.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Screening, safety, and adverse events in physical activity interventions: collaborative experiences from the behavior change consortium. Ory, M., Resnick, B., Jordan, PJ., et al.[2022]

Researchers in resistance training studies often lack clear guidance and motivation for thorough adverse event (AE) reporting, which can lead to inconsistent practices.

There is a need for exercise-specific guidelines for AE reporting, as current standards are perceived as not applicable to exercise trials, highlighting the importance of tailored strategies to improve reporting consistency.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Researchers' perspectives on adverse event reporting in resistance training trials: a qualitative study. El-Kotob, R., Pagcanlungan, JR., Craven, BC., et al.[2022]

In a study of 317 office workers, longer defined break durations led to fewer sit-to-stand transitions and increased prolonged sitting periods, indicating that how breaks are defined can significantly impact sitting behavior.

While total sitting time remained unchanged regardless of break length, the findings suggest a need for a standardized definition of break duration to improve comparisons across studies on sedentary behavior.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

How Does Definition of Minimum Break Length Affect Objective Measures of Sitting Outcomes Among Office Workers? Kloster, S., Danquah, IH., Holtermann, A., et al.[2018]

A review of 26 studies found that interventions aimed at reducing sedentary behavior in adults were categorized as very promising (39%), quite promising (21%), and non-promising (39%), with worksite-based interventions being the most common.

The most effective strategies included environmental restructuring and self-monitoring techniques, suggesting that future interventions should focus on modifying environments and enhancing self-regulatory skills to reduce sedentary behavior.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

How to reduce sitting time? A review of behaviour change strategies used in sedentary behaviour reduction interventions among adults. Gardner, B., Smith, L., Lorencatto, F., et al.[2023]

In a review of 121 trials involving 6700 older adults, most adverse events related to progressive resistance strength training were musculoskeletal issues like muscle strains and joint pain, particularly in participants with pre-existing health conditions or those engaging in high-intensity training.

Adverse events were often underreported, highlighting the need for clearer definitions and consistent reporting in future studies to better inform practitioners about the risks and benefits of strength training in older adults.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adverse events reported in progressive resistance strength training trials in older adults: 2 sides of a coin. Liu, CJ., Latham, N.[2010]

Excessive sedentary behavior, which accounts for 50-70% of waking hours, is an independent risk factor for various health issues, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems.

Taking short breaks to walk during prolonged sitting can help mitigate the negative health effects of sedentary behavior, making it important to reduce overall sitting time or incorporate 'activity snacks' throughout the day.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[A PARADIGM SHIFT IN THE PERCEPTION OF HEALTH MAINTENANCE FROM INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO DECREASING PHYSICAL INACTIVITY]. Rotman, D., Constantini, N.[2018]

In a study of 727 adults, it was found that on average, people had 55 interruptions in their sitting time each day, but only about 20 of these were considered 'active' (involving at least 5 minutes of standing or 2 minutes of stepping).

Older adults, those with obesity, and individuals with diabetes had significantly fewer interruptions and less stepping time during active interruptions, suggesting that these groups may be less physically active in their daily routines.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Descriptive Epidemiology of Interruptions to Free-Living Sitting Time in Middle-Age and Older Adults. Blankenship, JM., Winkler, EAH., Healy, GN., et al.[2023]

Citations

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Exercise snacks and physical fitness in sedentary populations 1. Effects of exercise snacks on muscle strength. Prolonged periods of sedentary behavior are associated with decreases in skeletal muscle mass ...

2. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06909097

Strength Breaks vs Walk Breaks for Sedentary Behavior ... Participants will do 4 strength snacks throughout each work day, 2 of them post-prandial if possible. Participants will take 2 minute physical ...

3. sciety.org sciety.org/articles/activity/10.20944/preprints202510.2184.v1?utm_source=sciety_labs_article_page

Exercise Snacks as a Strategy to Interrupt Sedentary Behavior Exercise snacks consistently improved postprandial glucose, insu-lin, and triglyceride responses, reduced blood pressure, preserved endothelial ...

4. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254625000705

Consensus Short bouts of accumulated exercise They found that interrupting prolonged sedentary behavior with moderate-intensity SBAE was more effective than light-intensity SBAE for reducing ...

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Exercise snacks: small bouts, big benefits - BJSM blog This systematic review and meta-analysis shows that exercise snacks are a promising, time-efficient strategy for improving fitness in inactive ...

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Application of Exercise Snacks across Youth, Adult and ... We aimed to map global research on 'exercise snacks', across youth, adult and clinical populations through a scoping review.

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Sitting Breaks for Sedentary Lifestyle Research on physical activity interventions, including taking breaks from sitting, shows that they are generally safe for humans. While minor injuries like ...

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Sedentary Lifestyle: Overview of Updated Evidence ... A sedentary lifestyle has an array of adverse health effects, including elevated all-cause mortality, CVD mortality, cancer risk, risks for metabolic diseases.