PhysioUpdate News 8th August 2023

Walking slowly for 25 minutes a day may be enough to counter the detrimental physical effects of bedrest on older patients in hospital. That is the message from researchers who conducted a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, and whose findings appear in an online article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine today (4 August).

To achieve optimal improvements in physical function, they recommend walking slowly for about 50 minutes a day – or about 40 minutes of combined physical activities (such as 20 minutes working with resistance bands and about 20 minutes of aerobic activity. But there may be a threshold effect, with no clear benefit for ‘doses’ of more than 90 minutes a day of light intensity, or 60 minutes a day of physical activity at a moderate intensity, the article suggests.

There could be a threshold effect, with no clear benefit for ‘doses’ of more than 90 minutes a day of light intensity, or 60 minutes a day of physical activity at a moderate intensity, the article suggests.