We’re not talking about giving your furry canine a command. Rather, we’re talking about what many of us do too much: sit.

Chris Kresser’s weekly Friday email opened my eyes to a couple of things. We sit for too many hours of the day, and we are probably sitting the wrong way. 

Neither was news to me, but the ramifications and the corrective methods were.

Chris cited a major study released last November which followed almost 90,000 participants over eight years who wore devices measuring their activity. Researchers found that sitting more than 10.6 hours a day resulted in increased mortality due to heart failure and cardiovascular (CV) death.

Interesting fact – those who were sedentary (at least 10.6 hours of sitting a day) and who exercised the recommended 150 minutes a week still had higher rates of death, but at lower levels than the purely sedentary group.

The sedentary group had a 40% higher risk for heart failure and a 54% higher risk for CV mortality – whereas the sedentary/active group had a 15% higher risk for heart failure and a 33% higher risk for CV mortality.

Bottom line: yes, exercise is important, but breaking up periods of sedentary time should be the focus of those who are stuck sitting all day. Consider using a standing desk to break up long periods in the chair. Walk around when taking calls. Break up each hour with some water/restroom/walking time.

Which leads to the second part of his message: how to sit properly. Check the video below which beautifully demonstrates the ergonomics of sitting at a desk. Under six minutes long, I highly recommend you look at this.

While I am keenly aware of my posture (“pull that string!”) there can be a struggle while sitting for long periods. A portable standing desk option, below, has been helpful, but the video recommendation of how to sit using a standard office chair looks like it will be my main improvement – along with elevating my laptop and adding a wireless keyboard.

Decades ago, I tried a kneeling chair that promised improved posture, but my knees complained. Then there was the sitting ball, which is quite effective, but has its own issues. The chair featured on the YouTube video is intriguing – I finally found one on Etsy.

But I’ll have to wait until I win the lottery to get it – it’s expensive!

This new information, that exercise for people who sit too much only partially helps heart health, is motivating me to make a few changes.

In addition to a new desk set up, I am taking movement breaks much more seriously. A phone call with a friend provided me with time to take a long walk in the warm, fresh pre-spring air while chatting. The hourly reminder to stand now includes a trip downstairs for a glass of water.

What are you going to do?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

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In health –

Deidre