Sitting for long periods is associated with increased risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Exercising does not reduce the health risks of excessive sitting. Being sedentary could shorten one's life by up to 7 years. The document recommends taking a 2-minute break from sitting every half hour and replacing 30 minutes of sitting time per day with light exercise, moderate exercise, or sleep to improve health.

1. SITTING IS SLOWLY
KILLING YOU
Why is Sitting
So Bad?
“Sedentarism” is a
major risk factor for:
All-Cause Mortality1
CAD
Cancer
Exercise doesn’t
reduce the risk of
too much sitting2
Being sedentary
could take 7 years
off your life3
STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE:
1. Chau JY, Grunseit AC, Chey T, et al. Daily Sitting Time and All-Cause Mortality: A
Meta-Analysis. Gorlova OY, ed. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(11):e80000.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080000.
2. Biswas A, Oh PI, Faulkner GE, et al. Sedentary Time and Its Association With Risk
for Disease Incidence, Mortality and Hospitalization in Adults. Ann Intern Med.
2015;162:123-132. doi: 10.7326/M14-1651.
3. Brønnum-Hansen H, Juel K, Davidsen M, Sørensen J. Impact of selected risk
factors on quality-adjusted life expectancy in Denmark. Scandinavian journal of public
health. 2007;35(5):510-515. doi: 10.1080/14034940701271908.
4. Carter SE, Jones M, Gladwell VF. Energy expenditure and heart rate response to
breaking up sedentary time with three different physical activity interventions. Nutrition,
Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. 2015;25:503-509.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2015.02.006.
5. Buman MP, Winkler EAH, Kurka JM, et al. Reallocating Time to Sleep, Sedentary
Behaviors, or Active Behaviors: Associations With Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Biomarkers, NHANES 2005–2006. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2013. doi:
10.1093/aje/kwt292.
WHAT CAN YOU DO
ABOUT IT?
Take a 2-minute break from
sitting every half-hour4
Sit Less by replacing 30
minutes of sedentary time
with light to moderate
exercise or even sleep5