Too Much Sitting – Why We Should Sit Less – Sitting Too Much Is Bad for Your Health

There are evidence that, unless you are a wheelchair user, too Much Sitting can be a risk to your health like joint pain, as sitting for long periods is thought to slow the metabolism, which affects the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat.

While there has been a rise in those turning to exercise of late because of Too Much Sitting, the coronavirus lockdown is likely to have seen many people become a lot more sedentary.

However, a new study has shown just how damaging sitting around all day can be for your health.

Researchers have found that inactivity can raise your risk of cancer – and even lead to early death.

The findings, published in journal JAMA Oncology, also showed that even light physical activity could help counteract this.

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Indeed, swapping half-an-hour of sitting with some sort of movement could help lower your risk.

As part of the study on Too Much Sitting, researchers asked 8,000 participants – none of whom had cancer at the start – to track how active they were between 2009 and 2013.

The scientists discovered that those who spent the most time too in Much Sitting were 82% more likely to have died from cancer compared to the least sedentary people.

Too Much Sitting Raises Risk of Cancer And Early Death, Says Scientists

This was even after accounting for age, sex, and disease.

Similarly, those who switched out 30 minutes sitting for movement, like walking, lowered their cancer risk by 8%.

Even better, doing half-an-hour of moderate activity – like a brisk walk, cycling or dancing – brought it down by 31%.

Dr Susan Gilchrist, the lead study author, said: “Conversations with my patients always begin with why they don’t have time to exercise.

“I tell them to consider standing up for 5 minutes every hour at work or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

“It might not sound like a lot, but this study tells us even light activity has cancer survival benefits.

“Our findings reinforce that it’s important to ‘sit less and move more’.

“Incorporating 30 minutes of movement into your daily life can help reduce your risk of death from cancer.”

It comes as it was revealed the majority of people are now using exercise to manage their mental health during the pandemic, according to a survey published last month.

Read more: Regular Exercise Could Protect Against COVID, UVa Researcher Says

Research conducted by Sport England, to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, found that 63% of people across the first six weeks of lockdown were staying active to look after their minds.

It discovered that people are turning to fitness as a result of the restrictions on movement since late March which results to Too Much Sitting.

These included working out at home, running in the park and walking or cycling to the shops for essentials.

Initially, the government allowed people to leave their homes once a day for local activity, and in early May sanctioned unlimited exercise.

The survey also showed that over time, concerns about leaving home have eased – with 60% worried about this in the first fortnight, and a reduced 47% in week six of lockdown.

And studies have linked being inactive with being overweight and obese, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and early death.

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