Stand up for your health
Structured workouts like the ones in this report are essential for optimal health. But you should also try to stand and move around more during the day, especially if you have a desk job. Sitting for hours on end can increase your risk of serious ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Sitting for more than six hours a day can increase your risk for these diseases and even early death by up to 50%. By contrast, you can lower your risks of all of these conditions simply by standing and moving more—even if you already exercise. That’s because routine movement during the day adds on to those benefits.
That was the conclusion of a large, long-term study of 92,000 older adults by researchers from the American Cancer Society, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. When those who were the least active replaced 30 minutes of sitting a day with light activity like leisurely walking, they reduced their risk of dying early by 14%. Their risk dropped even more, up to 45%, when they did moderate to vigorous activity like brisk walking or jogging. Similarly, other studies have concluded that routine, everyday movement helps cut the risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.
Why does prolonged sitting have such harmful health consequences? One explanation is that it relaxes your largest muscles. When muscles relax, they take up very little sugar (glucose) from the blood, raising your risk of diabetes. In addition, the enzymes that break down blood fats (triglycerides) plummet, causing levels of the “good” cholesterol, HDL, to fall, too. The result is a higher risk of heart disease. The evidence is so compelling that the latest Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that, in addition to getting regular workouts, adults should “move more and sit less throughout the day.”
