By now, the advice from health experts is clear: we should all sit less. That’s different from their advice to exercise more, because recent research shows that even regular exercise may not make much of a difference if you spend the rest of the day planted on a chair.
Now, the UK government’s Public Health England and a community advocacy group, Active Working CIC, have combed through the data on sitting and developed the first set of recommendations to let people know exactly how much time they should spend standing each day.
MORE: Sitting Is Killing You
According to the recommendation, written by health experts and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, people should aim to stand at least two hours a day during working hours. This doesn’t have to be all at once, but can be broken up into small periods of standing, pacing, fidgeting or walking—anything but sitting still.
It’s merely a recommendation, not a health mandate, the authors stress, and they don’t even suggest it as guidance that doctors should use to prescribe specific amounts of non-sitting behavior a day. But getting people to think about how much time they spend on their seats and how little time they spend on their feet is the point, the authors say. According to the data cited in the paper, an office worker spends up to 75% of his or her day sitting, and more than half of that comes in long episodes of nearly inert sedentariness lasting 30 minutes or more. Sedentary behavior is linked to a higher risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease. “This is an initial guidance, which we do expect to have to evolve with time,” says John Buckley, from the Institute of Medicine at the University of Chester and lead author of the paper in a statement. “As we get more evidence we will hopefully gain more precision.”
MORE: Sitting Can Increase Your Risk of Cancer By Up to 66%
Standing for at least two hours a day is just a first step; the recommendation encourages a standing goal of four working hours a day, roughly half of your working life. Even if you can’t leave your desk long enough to take a walk, trips to the break room or restroom count—as does anything that breaks up a long stretch of time in a chair.
Buckley and his group are already working on gathering more scientific data to refine the recommendation and help employers, workers and doctors get a better handle on how much non-sitting is needed to improve health. The researchers are studying a Virgin Media call center in Sheffield in the UK, where employees are given a choice of a sit-stand desk; the scientists hope to learn more about switching up working positions can impact health, as well as productivity and performance.
MORE: Sitting At Your Desk Is Killing You. Here’s What It Costs To Stop the Destruction
“This is so new, so we’re very excited about seeing whether some of our theories that we’re testing will become clearer,” he says. And hopefully by then, more of the world will be standing when they read the results.
FAQs
New research shows people who spend more than 12 hours a day sitting have a 38% increased risk of death—if they don't get at least 22 minutes of exercise each day. Too add more physical activity into your day, experts recommend doing things that you enjoy, whether it's walking, cycling, or doing other fun activities.
What is the recommended amount of sitting per day? ›
According to the charity Just Stand, the following thresholds determine a person's risk of developing health problems due to sitting: Low risk: Sitting for less than 4 hours per day. Medium risk: Sitting for 4–8 hours per day. High risk: Sitting for 8–11 hours per day.
What happens to your body when you sit too much every day? ›
Sitting or lying down for too long increases your risk of chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Too much sitting can also be bad for your mental health. Being active is not as hard as you think. There are lots of simple ways to include some physical activity in your day.
What happens when you sit for 8 hours a day? ›
Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns. They include obesity and a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and unhealthy cholesterol levels — that make up metabolic syndrome.
How to offset sitting all day? ›
An analysis of nine previous studies has concluded that 30 to 40 minutes per day of "moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity" is a good remedy for sitting for 10 hours or more daily.
Is 20 minutes of walking a day enough? ›
There are plenty of sources, reports and recommendations pointing to walking as an easy way to increase levels of physical activity. And most experts will agree that adding between 20 and 30 minutes of exercise to your daily routine is a good place to start.
How many hours of sitting is unhealthy? ›
The effects of too much sitting are hard to counter with exercise. Even if you work out 7 hours a week -- far more than the suggested 2-3 hours -- you can't reverse the effects of sitting 7 hours at a time. Don't throw away all that hard work at the gym by hitting the couch for the rest of the day. Keep moving!
What are the side effects of sitting too long? ›
10 Side Effects of Sitting Down All Day
- Weak Legs and Glutes. If you don't use them, you lose them! ...
- Weight Gain. ...
- Tight Hips and a Bad Back. ...
- Anxiety and Depression. ...
- Cancer Risk. ...
- Heart Disease. ...
- Diabetes Risk. ...
- Varicose Veins.
“Our study found cells age faster with a sedentary lifestyle. Chronological age doesn't always match biological age,” said Aladdin Shadyab, lead author of the study with the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
Why can I barely walk after sitting? ›
Conditions that can cause stiff joints include osteoarthritis, bursitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and more. Medical treatments and home remedies may help to alleviate stiff joints. Many people who experience joint stiffness tend to feel it after sitting for prolonged periods or after first waking up.
Hip and leg pain
Prolonged sitting can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, which is responsible for movement and sensation in the lower body. Over time, that pressure can irritate the nerve, causing leg and hip pain.
Can too much sitting cause constipation? ›
If you don't exercise or you spend a lot of time just sitting, you can get constipated. It can be a problem for people who have to stay in bed a lot or just can't move much because of a health problem. The answer: Try to exercise every day. It doesn't have to be an intense workout.
Does exercise counteract sitting all day? ›
The study found that the current recommendation of 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous activity “is enough to counteract the detrimental health effect of prolonged sitting,” said the study's lead author, Edvard Sagelv, a researcher at The Arctic University of Norway.
How can you reverse the effects of sitting all day? ›
If you're sitting all day, science shows how to undo the health risks. Take 'activity snacks' every 30 minutes. A short stroll every half hour may help undo the health harms associated with prolonged periods of sitting, a new study finds.
How much do I need to move to not be sedentary? ›
Remember to move for approximately three minutes every 30 – 60 minutes. Why? Research shows that staying stationary – whether sitting or standing – for long periods of time, can be bad for your health. Our bodies are built to move and doing so for approximately three minutes every hour helps us feel our best.
Can exercise offset a sedentary lifestyle? ›
Small amounts of moderate to vigorous physical activity “may be an effective strategy to ameliorate the mortality risk from high sedentary time,” the researchers wrote in The British Journal of Sports Medicine.
