Why Too Much Sitting Is a Danger to Your Health

Whether it’s in your office, in the car, on public transport, or at home. Any extended sitting for too long can increase your risk of serious health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. Typical sedentary behaviours that we can all be guilty of include watching TV, playing video games or reading a book, driving, and sitting at a desk. 

Sitting for long hours everyday increases your risk of developing heart disease, even if you exercise regularly. That’s because it can interfere with your body’s ability to regulate blood pressure. Prolonged sitting also increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, as lack of movement is believed to play a direct role in the development of insulin resistance. Emerging studies suggest that sitting for too long can increase your risk of certain types of cancer, including lung, uterine, and colon cancers. 

And the effects don’t stop there. Long-term sitting is also associated with:

• Weight gain
• Muscle degeneration
• Back and neck pain

Sitting is harmful to your health because it affects vascular function, blood pressure, blood glucose, cerebral blood flow, and inflammation. The danger of sitting for long periods, however, is greatest when it is uninterrupted. For example, eight hours of sitting is ok if you break it up by standing and moving around every hour. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance recommends daily physical activity of between 30 and 40 minutes to help combat the dangers of “sitting disease” or excessing sitting. This tallies up to around 150-300 minutes a week of moderate physical activity, or at least 75-100 minutes of vigorous physical activity.

The good news is evidence shows that even if you are sitting a lot, small changes can make a big difference. Here are some tips to counteract the harmful effect of prolonged sitting and help you to build more activity into your day:

• Set a timer to remind yourself to get up and move every 30 minutes.
• Stand up and stretch regularly, touch your toes and roll your shoulders. 
• Take a stroll around the office. 
• Stand up and walk around when you on a call.
• Stand at your desk for part of the day. 
• Sit upright with your feet flat on the floor, and your screen at eye level.
• Sneak micro exercises into your day, like doing squats or jumping jacks.
• Take the stairs whenever you can.
• Park further away from your destination to increase your number of steps.
• Find time to stand as much as possible before and after work, for example, having your breakfast and dinner at a tall countertop.
• When you’re watching TV, get up and walk around during the ads or between episodes to keep your body moving.
• Invest in a fitness tracker that will keep tabs on your step count as well as send alerts and nudges to remind you to move.

At Allianz, our mission is to keep you well — wherever life takes you. Learn more about our International Health Insurance plans and how we can support your health and wellbeing every step of the way.