People in busy jobs who believe they are achieving their daily recommended levels of physical activity while working, may be fooling themselves, a new Irish study suggests.

According to Dr Eleanor McIntyre of Galway University Hospital, most adults spend around 60% of their waking hours in work, therefore this represents ‘a significant domain where short bouts of physical activity can be accrued and counted towards the recommended guidelines' to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

However her study indicates that even those in busy jobs are largely sedentary and not active enough to reduce their risk of CVD.

Current guidelines recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of at least moderate intensity aerobic activity per week, e.g. a brisk 30-minute walk five times a week.

Dr McIntyre looked at the activity patterns of 83 people working in a busy hospital environment - Galway University Hospital - during a typical working week. All wore pedometers to record their daily steps and completed a questionnaire on physical activity.

An analysis of the data revealed that just 6% of the participants reached the recommended physical activity level of 10,000 steps per day during working hours. Almost one in three - 30% - were described as ‘sedentary after achieving less than 5,000 steps per day.

Overall, the workers took an average number of 6,025 steps per day, although this varied depending on the person's job. Nurses and interns were found to be the most active in relation to steps per day, while secretaries walked the least and sat the most.

Dr McIntyre suggested that health promotion policies are not sufficiently applied in the workplace.

"Promoting the concept that short bouts of physical activity can be accrued during working hours rather than considered solely a leisure time activity seems a realistic approach to reducing CVD risk," she commented.

Tips for getting more exercise in work include using stairs instead of lifts or elevators, getting off public transport one or two stops early or parking your car further away from your place of work.

"Increasing demands on personal time can limit the amount of physical activity achieved outside of working hours, and the workplace remains an environment in which short bouts of exercise can result in modest health gains at the population level," Dr McIntyre added.

Details of her findings were presented at the European Society of Cardiology's recent EuroPRevent congress in Lisbon, Portugal.

For more information on heart health, see our Heart Disease Clinic here