--- title: You Shouldn't Sit All Day Long description: Being idle is not good for the body or brain canonical: https://time.com/4236180/stop-sitting/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-02T13:00:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:56:10.164Z article:section: Ideas og:title: You Shouldn't Sit All Day Long og:description: Being idle is not good for the body or brain og:url: https://time.com/4236180/stop-sitting/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27fe6107ae49cb4e/69887f06f887dca2b4e94c50/blue-office-chair-pink-background.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3391 og:image:height: 1907 og:image:alt: blue-office-chair-pink-background og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: You Shouldn't Sit All Day Long twitter:description: Being idle is not good for the body or brain twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27fe6107ae49cb4e/69887f06f887dca2b4e94c50/blue-office-chair-pink-background.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # You Shouldn't Sit All Day Long > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Skip The Situps, Save Your Back [Watch (HLS stream): Skip The Situps, Save Your Back](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0bwa8D4f.m3u8) (0:34)  _Published 2015-12-22. Doctors have long argued that situps are bad for your back. But that doesn't mean you should cut out ab exercises altogether._ by [TheBrainFlux](https://time.com/author/the-brain-flux/) ## TheBrainFlux Mar 2, 2016 1:00 PM UTC  STYLISH OFFICE CHAIR STYLISH OFFICE CHAIR Getty Images by [TheBrainFlux](https://time.com/author/the-brain-flux/) ## TheBrainFlux Mar 2, 2016 1:00 PM UTC The last few years have seen a lot of research on how bad sitting all day can be. The [risks](http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2091327) of a sedentary lifestyle include poor cardiovascular health, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. While the physical health implications are profound, it’s not just the body that suffers. Researchers are uncovering how extended periods of sitting can also affect our [mental](http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/15/513) health. These health issues are largely driven by our modern lifestyles. Work is done in cubicles and meetings, not outside in fields and dirt. This goes against our evolutionary nature to be on the move. Being idle is not good for the body or brain. So how can we battle back against the sedentary lifestyle? Researchers are starting to look at effective ways to combat our modern lifestyle. While the solutions are simple, it might not be what you expect. **_TheBrainFlux:_**[_111 Discoveries From Brain and Psychology Research in 2015_](http://thebrainflux.com/111-discoveries-from-brain-and-psychology-research-in-2015/) **The Study of Sitting** A recent [study](http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17437199.2015.1082146) published in the journal _Health Psychology Review_ found that targeting exercise isn’t the most effect method to offset sitting behaviors. The research comes from Dr. Benjamin Gardner and his team from London. They performed the first comprehensive review of methods that reduce sitting time. Benjamin had this to say about the study: --- > “” --- Benjamin goes on: --- > “” --- They found that targeting physical activity was an indirect way to get at the problem. Physical activity is great for your body. It just not the best method to keep you out of your chair. Dr. Gardner and his team combed through the research literature looking for specific techniques targeted at the sedentary activity. After a careful review, they collected a total of 38 different interventions. They then categorized the methods according to effectiveness. **What Works Best** Out of those 38 methods, 23 of them were found to be effective. Some of the effective techniques: * Including sit-stand desks at work * Tracking the amount of time sitting * Setting goals for limiting sitting time * Using cues or reminders to stop sitting * Educating people on the health benefits of reduced sitting time What makes them effective? The fact that they target sitting time directly. The researchers found that targeting the sitting time is more effective than targeting physical activity. **_TheBrainFlux:_**[_39 Brain Benefits of Exercise_](http://thebrainflux.com/brain-benefits-of-exercise/) They may seem like the same thing, but there’s a subtle difference. [Studies](http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2091327) are showing that you can exercise and still be a candidate for the harmful side effects of prolonged sitting. So it’s possible for a person to exercise and still sit too much. Stuart Biddle, a co-author on the research, sums up the paper by saying this: --- > “” --- **Further Advice** Benjamin and his team aren’t the only ones looking to combat our sedentary problem. Another [meta-analysis](http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2091327) – a review of several studies – also found that physical activity won’t solve the sitting problem. Dr. David Alter – the senior author on the study – offers similar advice for altering our sitting habits: --- > “” --- Once your more aware of just how much – or little – your activity levels are, you can begin to make changes. David outlines the next steps you can take: --- > “” --- **_TheBrainFlux:_**[_How Sitting Can Increase Your Anxiety_](http://thebrainflux.com/how-sitting-can-increase-your-anxiety/) **Keep It Simple** Other [studies](http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797%2815%2900345-1/abstract) have shown that simple activities can be the easiest and best strategies. Recently, it was found that small movements involved in fidgeting were enough to counteract prolonged periods of sitting. Another [study](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25931456) found that taking a quick break and walking around for a couple of minutes every hour could also have a protective effect. While exercise is great for brain power, it can’t completely reduce the effects of sitting on your bum all day. You still have to be mindful of how much time you spend being sedentary. So sitters beware. In the long run, both your body and brain will suffer from too much idle time. Thankfully, it only takes a bit of awareness and some simple activity to reduce the health risks. _This_ [_article_](http://thebrainflux.com/how-to-stop-sitting-all-day-advice-backed-by-science/) _originally appeared on_ [_TheBrainFlux_](http://thebrainflux.com) ## Transcript Once the epitome of fitness, the sit- up's reign might be coming to an end. Doctors have long argued the exercise is too risky for one's back. One professor of spine biomechanics told the Wall Street Journal, sit- ups can place hundreds of pounds of compressive force on the spine. And now sit- ups might even be dropped in settings especially known for toughness. A recent editorial published in Navy Times advocates for the exercise being removed from a physical test sailors have to pass twice a year. Canada's armed forces has already cut it from its fitness tests contending that sit ups don't relate much to the conditioning required to get soldiers ready for the battlefield. 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