Been sitting
for a while?

THE SHORT ANSWER

Sitting adds up,
movement breaks it up.

You can hit your weekly activity target but still be at risk
if you spend the rest of the time sitting, the NHS says.

HOW MUCH WE SIT

Hours in the chair

Research suggests many adults spend more than 7 hours a day sitting, and people over 65 spend 10 hours or more sitting or lying down.

Compare sitting and activity

THE OFFSET

A lot of activity helps

In data on over a million adults, about 60 to 75 minutes a day of moderate activity seemed to eliminate the higher death risk linked to long sitting.

See the numbers

THE BREAKS

Two minutes every twenty

In a small trial, 2-minute walks every 20 minutes lowered blood sugar and insulin after a drink compared with sitting without a break.

Ways to break it up

COMPARE SITTING AND ACTIVITY

How do sitting
and activity combine?

Pick a pattern to see what a 2016 meta-analysis of over a million adults found. The bar shows the death rate during follow-up compared with people who sat least and were most active.

From a harmonised meta-analysis in The Lancet (2016), 1,005,791 people followed for 2 to 18 years. Observational data: it shows associations, not proof of cause. 'Very active' means over 35.5 MET-hours a week, about 60 to 75 minutes of moderate activity a day.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

A long walk,
or short breaks.

One finding about total activity,
one about breaking up the sitting itself.

Moderate-intensity walking breaks gave similar results to light ones in the same trial.

FOUR WAYS TO SIT LESS

Small moves,
many times a day.

Ideas from NHS guidance and the walking-break trial.

1. Walk for two minutes

   Get up for a short walk every 20 minutes or so, as people did in the walking-break trial.

2. Stand for calls

   The NHS suggests making phone calls while standing up.

3. Take the stairs

   Take the stairs and walk up escalators rather than standing still.

4. Rethink short trips

   Using the car for short journeys is a common sedentary habit. Walking or cycling counts as activity instead.

AND THE WEEKLY TARGET

Sitting less
plus moving more.

UK guidelines say adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, plus strengthening activities on at least 2 days, and reduce time spent sitting or lying down.

Moderate activity raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster: you can still talk but not sing. Common sedentary behaviour includes watching TV, using a computer, and sitting to read, talk or listen to music.

Questions

Questions people ask

Sources

Where the facts come from

1. NHS: Benefits of exercise (sedentary lifestyles)
2. NHS: Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64
3. Does physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? The Lancet 2016 (PubMed)
4. Breaking up prolonged sitting reduces postprandial glucose and insulin responses, Diabetes Care 2012 (PubMed)
5. NHS: Can dementia be prevented? (tips to sit less)