Daily activities such as walking and cycling have become a regular part of many people’s routines.
At the same time, figures from RIVM, according to Gezondnu, indicate that more hours of sedentary work may lead to increasing rates of overweight in the future.
Working from home in particular has changed activity levels. This makes it more important to incorporate movement as a regular part of daily life.
What does the research show?
A study from April 2026, published in the journal European Heart Journal, analyzed data from hundreds of thousands of people in the United Kingdom.
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Different forms of physical activity were compared with the risk of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dementia.
The analysis shows that it is not only the amount of exercise that matters; the way you move also plays a role in your health.
The key difference
The results suggest that a small portion of daily activity should be more intensive.
People who moved at a slightly faster pace had a lower risk of several diseases.
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This means that it is not necessarily about spending more time exercising. Instead, short periods of higher intensity can make a difference.
For example, this could involve walking slightly faster for a few minutes at a time.
Sources: Gezondnu, RIVM, and European Heart Journal.
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