New research shows that office workers and other people who sit down a lot must exercise for one hour a day. If they do this, they will increase their chances of living longer. Doctors have been telling us for a long time that sitting down all day will shorten our life. Researchers now say that sitting in a chair all day is as dangerous to our health as smoking or being overweight. Research on over one million adults found that sitting for at least eight hours a day could increase the risk of dying early by up to 60 per cent. However, there is good news for those who sit at a desk all day. An hour's "brisk exercise" each day can cancel out the risk of an early death linked to sitting all day.
The research was published in time for people to read before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Researchers hope this will encourage people to exercise more. They say that being inactive increases the risk of getting heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Watching TV all day is one of the worst things we can do as that also means we get no exercise and are likely to eat unhealthy snacks. One researcher said office workers should find opportunities to get out of their seat more often. Professor Ulf Eklund advised people to: "Take a five-minute break every hour, go to the next office, go upstairs to the coffee machine, go to the printer." He added: "Build physical activity into your everyday life."
