The amount of time a person spends sitting during the day was linked to a higher rate of serious conditions such as heart disease and cancer, despite the individual's exercise habits.
The findings suggest getting daily exercise might not be enough to balance out the effects of sitting for long periods of time, the University Health Network reported.
"More than one half of an average person's day is spent being sedentary-sitting, watching television, or working at a computer," said Dr. David Alter, Senior Scientist, Toronto Rehab, University Health Network (UHN), and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. "Our study finds that despite the health-enhancing benefits of physical activity, this alone may not be enough to reduce the risk for disease."
Despite the findings, the researchers noted the negative effects of sitting time are more prevalent in those who get little to no exercise when compared to those who were more active.
"Avoiding sedentary time and getting regular exercise are both important for improving your health and survival," Alter said. "It is not good enough to exercise for 30 minutes a day and be sedentary for 23 and half hours."
The researchers also offered tips for reducing one's daily sitting time, with a target of between one and two less hours spent sitting over the course of a 12-hour day.
"The first step is to monitor sitting times-once we start counting, we're more likely to change our [behavior]," Alter said. "Next is setting achievable goals and finding opportunities to incorporate greater physical activity-and less time sitting- into your daily life. For example, at work, stand up or move for one to three minutes every half hour; and when watching television, stand or exercise during commercials."
The findings were published in a recent edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
