For related articles and more information, please visit OCA’s Health Issues page and our Appetite For a Change page.

The more time you spend sitting, the shorter and less healthy your life will tend to be-that’s the new consensus among researchers. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) now lists
inactivity as the fourth biggest killer of adults worldwide, responsible for nine percent of premature deaths.1

In fact, the medical literature now contains over 10,000 studies showing that frequent, prolonged sitting-at work, commuting, and watching TV at night-significantly impacts your cardiovascular and metabolic function.

For example, one 2012 meta-analysis2 found that those who sat for the longest periods of time on a daily basis were
twice as likely to have diabetes or heart disease, compared to those who sat the least.

Of great importance is the finding that prolonged sitting is an
independent risk factor for poor health and early death; studies have shown these risks apply even if you’re very fit and maintain a regular workout schedule.

Why Gym Rats Aren’t Exempt

The problem is that an hour of exercise here and there, even if it’s vigorous, cannot counteract the harm incurred during the hours you’re sitting still. For example, one recent study3 found that six hours of uninterrupted sitting effectively counteracted the positive health benefits of a whole hour of exercise.

Basically, this means that even if you spend two to three hours in the gym each week, if you have a full-time sit-down job, many of those exercise benefits are simply evaporated.