Tjaša Knific on… the 24-hour movement behaviour paradigm

The 24-hour movement behaviour paradigm is gaining momentum internationally. From your perspective, what makes this framework so powerful – and how do you see it transforming the way cities think about health, mobility, and daily life?

The strength of the 24-hour movement behaviour paradigm lies in its simplicity and realism. It is based on a basic fact: every day has only 24 hours, and time spent in one behaviour inevitably replaces time spent in another. Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep are therefore not separate lifestyle choices, but an interconnected system that shapes health across the entire day.

This perspective moves us beyond a narrow focus on exercise as an “isolated action” and encourages cities to consider how daily routines are organised: how people move, work, commute, and rest. From an urban point of view, this is transformative. It links health directly to mobility systems, housing design, public spaces, work environments, and digital habits. A city that promotes walking but simultaneously undermines sleep through noise, long commuting times, or irregular work patterns cannot be considered truly health-supportive.

The paradigm is also powerful because it reframes health promotion from “doing more” to “using time more wisely.” Small, realistic shifts—such as breaking up prolonged sitting or supporting regular sleep patterns—can lead to meaningful health benefits, particularly for people who struggle to meet traditional exercise guidelines. For cities, this opens the way for inclusive, population-wide strategies that embed health into everyday life rather than placing the burden solely on individual choice.

In the GIB24 project, Slovenia developed its first national 24-hour movement guidelines for adults. How do these guidelines reframe what a “healthy day” looks like, and what insights from the project might inspire other European cities? 

With the GIB24 project, Slovenia developed its first national 24-hour movement guidelines for adults, marking a shift from fragmented recommendations toward an integrated understanding of a “healthy day.” In this framework, a healthy day is not defined by a single behaviour, but by achieving sufficient physical activity across different intensities, limited and interrupted sedentary time, and adequate, regular sleep. Importantly, the guidelines emphasise that these behaviours interact: improving one at the expense of another—such as increasing activity while sacrificing sleep—may not lead to better health outcomes.

One key insight from GIB24 that may inspire other European cities is the strong link between guidelines, monitoring, and practice. Slovenia did not stop at issuing recommendations; it embedded 24-hour movement behaviours into national surveillance and developed practical tools for counselling and health promotion. This creates a bridge between policy, data, and everyday implementation.

For cities, this approach highlights the importance of coherence: guidelines should inform urban design, mobility planning, workplace policies, and local health programmes, while data should be used to track whether these environments truly enable healthier daily routines.

We often focus on inactivity as a fitness issue, but its implications are much broader. What hidden or underestimated health impacts of sedentary lifestyles should urban practitioners pay more attention to -including those affecting mental health, community connectedness, or ageing? 

Sedentary behaviour is often framed as the opposite of exercise, but its health implications go far beyond physical fitness. Prolonged sitting is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases even among people who meet physical activity recommendations, which makes it a distinct public health issue rather than merely a lack of exercise.

Less visible, but equally important, are the mental and social consequences. From an urban perspective, environments that encourage sedentary behaviour unintentionally reinforce social isolation and weaken community connections.