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The continual battle against sitting might have gained a new weapon: Walking.

We have written often about the dangers of too much sitting, including here, here, and here. But what to do about it?

A new report from the New York Times may have the answer. It takes the trend for increased interval training — which still can be time consuming — and finds an approach any of us can take: “…those who have considered high-intensity interval training but have been apprehensive about its demands should go for a walk.”

The article is based on a recent study, “The factors affecting adherence to a long-term interval walking training program in middle-aged and older people,” published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. The new study is an update to work the authors published in 2007, when they had “walkers between the ages of 44 and 78 [complete] five sets of intervals, for a total of 30 minutes of walking at least three times a week.” Compared to other volunteers, “the interval walkers, however, significantly improved aerobic fitness, leg strength and blood-pressure readings.”

How powerful is the routine? The NYT states that, according to the updated report, “most of the participants stayed with the walking program long after their original five-month commitment ended. Two years later, almost 70 percent of the walkers with whom the researchers remained in contact were still following their regimen at least three times a week and had retained or improved their health gains.”

And if 30 minutes of interval walking seems daunting, here's what one of the study's authors said: “Perform the training for 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon and 10 minutes in the evening.”