Health Risk of Sitting for a Long Time

We sit down a lot during the day. Whether we are in the office, school, watching TV or leisure place. Is it healthy? No. A groundbreaking research may help us to start adjusting this habit. It suggested that the amount of time we sit during the day is associated with a higher risk of heart
disease, diabetes, cancer, and death, even if we exercise regularly

The study mainly focused on sedentary behaviour. (Authors:Avi Biswas, PhD candidate, Toronto Rehab, UHN and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, and the senior author is Dr. Alter, who is also Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto)
The outcome of the research showed that the health risk of sitting for a long time is more pronounced in people who rarely exercise than those who does so regularly

"Avoiding sedentary time and getting regular exercise are both important for improving your health and survival," said Dr. Alter. "It is not good enough to exercise for 30 minutes a day and be sedentary for 23 and half hours."Dr. Alter underlines strategies people can use to reduce sitting time. The target is to decrease sedentary time by two to three hours in a 12-hour day.

"The first step is to monitor sitting times -- once we start counting, we're more likely to change our behaviour," said Dr. Alter. "Next is setting achievable goals and finding opportunities to incorporate greater physical activity -- and less time sitting -- into your daily life. For example, at work, stand up or move for one to three minutes every half hour; and when watching television, stand or exercise during commercials."