Will Sitting Kill You?

The definition of couch potato now extends to the length of time you sit in a chair, including work time.  If you spend three-fourths or more of your day sitting compared to standing, your increased risk of early death from any cause or from cardiovascular disease ranges increases by from 30% to 61%, compared to sitting no more than one-forth of the time or less.

The study tracked 17, 013 Canadians¹ for an average of 12 years.  It found a distinct linear relationship between the “dose” of sitting time and mortality.  The more you are up and about, the longer you are likely to live.  This fact held true regardless of overall physical activity, leisure time, body weight, smoking status, and alcohol consumption.

Our bodies are made to be used.  If you have a sitting job, figure out how to mix in some other things to do.  The old expression that if you don’t use it you lose it can be expanded to if you don’t use it you can lose everything.