Why sitting down is ruining your health

It’s long been known that sitting down for too long is bad for us. Leading less active lives causes us to pile on the pounds as well as allow our muscles to become weaker, making out bodies function less efficiently. And don’t even get us started on the havoc a sedimentary lifestyle plays with your circulation.

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine claims that the amount of time someone spends sitting down puts them at higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Worse still, your evening spinning class might not be enough to counteract the risk.

Dr David Alter from the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network told Reuters Health: "30 to 60 minutes of exercise per day doesn't ensure their health. These are two distinct factors, we need both, we need exercise and need to be sitting less."

He continues: "More than one half of an average person's day is spent being sedentary - sitting, watching television, or working at a computer.

“Our study finds that despite the health-enhancing benefits of physical activity, this alone may not be enough to reduce the risk for disease."

What the study shows is that sitting for such long periods of time during our day affects out health so badly, that our gym sessions aren’t quite enough to stop our long desk hours making us ill.

But what can we do to prevent our bodies from becoming ticking health bombs?

Doctors recommend we take regular breaks, go for a walk on our lunch break and go for regular walks around the office during the day. You could also suggest ‘stand up’ meetings to help get your circulation going again as you brainstorm ideas.