Take a Break From Sitting

Sitting may seem harmless, but it can shorten your life. In this Health Smarts video, Vonda Wright, MD, shares a simple anti-aging tip to boost your longevity: Spend more time standing and add more activity throughout your day.

Transcript

00:00

If you spend large chunks of your day in a sitting position

00:06

then listen up, it's time for a break from your chair. Hi, I'm Dr. Wright. Whether

00:13

you're riding in a car, working at a desk, or watching TV, you need to get up and get moving, and do it often.

00:20

Stand up, walk around, stretch your legs, do something, anything. If you don't, your longevity will

00:27

take a hit even if you're a regular exerciser, that's right. In a 12 year study

00:35

people who sat for most of their day had higher mortality rates, even if they also exercise for 30 minutes everyday.

00:43

The chair dwellers won't bring their mortality rates down to the level of someone who sat for only a quarter of the day.

00:49

So what do you do? First, you should still exercise. Among people who sat for the same percentage

00:56

of time each day, the active people live longer than inactive people. Second, aim for longer

01:04

periods of activities during your leisure time. The more you sit for work, the more you should move around for the rest of the day.

01:12

Want to learn some more ways to stay healthy and live longer? Watch all our smart tips.