Even a little daily movement can boost your mood

Want to be happier? Who can say no to that? What about being healthier at the same time? That’s a yes, too, right?

Well, there is a fascinating study out of NPR — yes, National Public Radio — that just might have the key.

But first off, all of you know we were hunters and gatherers back in the old days. And in the 1800s, we were still doing the same thing, moving our bodies outside to put food on the table, take care of the homestead, etc.

Then in the 1950s, back when Eisenhower was president, the TV was introduced and — bang! — sitting took off like a light. We could sit all day and watch stupid things like “The Three Stooges,” “I Love Lucy” or “The Milton Berle Show” (those of you young’uns probably don’t know these shows, but they were huge).

The arrival of the computer and the smartphone clinched the deal. Why move, why stand up, why do anything when you can have a complete life just sitting around?

Well, folks, it’s not good for us, but you know that. Now on to the study that showed you can boost your mood, lessen fatigue and live a happier life with, yes, some but not much effort.

NPR folks organized something called the “Body Electric Challenge,” which included nearly 20,000 U.S. adults. Participants spanned a wide range of ages, occupations and work environments

They were given a text cue to take a five-minute walking break, with one group receiving the prompt every 30 minutes, another group every 60 minutes and the final group every two hours. For 21 days, everyone received a survey at 8 in the evening asking them about their day, their mood, their job, etc.

The assessment used a verified scale called the Intervention Appropriateness Measure to answer the survey questions on a 1 to 5 scale. A score of 3 or more was considered a positive score.

After the survey period, the scores for all three groups showed their mood had lightened, their fatigue had decreased and they were happier and felt better.

The people who took breaks every 30 minutes had the greatest scores, while the people who only took the break every two hours had the least improvement, though they still felt these breaks had improved their lives.

My spin: How should we look at this and consider implementation? That’s the issue.

Honestly, I would find it hard some days to stand up and move around for five minutes every half-hour. For some, this might be OK, but for me it would be a bother. I might do it some days but not others.

I have my watch set to tell me to stand up every so often, and what I usually do is tap it to ignore the prompt and then just go on doing whatever I was doing. No watch is going to tell me what to do.