The study in question limited participants to 4,000 steps a day for four days. That's an absurdly low level of exercise to undertake.
During the coldest months of winter I would wake up and eat breakfast (sitting), jump in the car (sitting), commute to the office (sitting).
Once at the office I sit for 8h.
Then car again (sitting). Back home I prepare food (standing!) and then eat it (sitting). I then spent the rest of the day either sitting on the couch or at the computer.
Weekends could get even worst if it was a snowstorm day. Wake up, eat, sit in front of Netflix and then back to sleep.
Now that spring is in the air my steps are raising back up.
In my case, that's only two months a year. Someone else might be that inactive for the entire year.
Think older people, people with disabilities, physical or mental health issues, etc.
Sure, I don't sit for 8 hours a day while at the office but it's pretty close to it. I have a 30 minute lunch where I walk to the cafeteria and stand while waiting for the microwave. I also have a 15 minute break in the afternoon where I walk to the most comfortable spot of the building and back again.
When it's not -22ºF outdoor I squeeze some outdoor walking time in during those breaks.
I hate stationary cardio on machines and can't stand harsh cold weather. My exercise is done hiking up trails during spring, summer and fall.
I've since then re-arranged my day to at least walk 5k-8k steps per day. I've found that the step count doesn't matter much, I need at least 30min high intensity workout every day to not go numb in my mind and body. Luckily, I have two daughters, so I'm forced to do more excersices than I did when I worked from outside of my home.