at risk for heart disease and diabetes if they
spend the rest of their day sitting behind
a desk or sprawled on the sofa. Indeed,
an American Heart Association (AHA)
study found U.S. adults are sedentary for
up to eight hours each day. It doesn’t help
matters that fewer than 20 percent of jobs
require employees to be active—down from
50 percent in the 1960s, NBCNews.com
reports. No amount of exercise can offset
the harmful effects that prolonged sitting
can have on the heart and blood vessels,
the AHA cautions. People should avoid sitting
for too long—even if they meet current
physical activity recommendations and get
at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise
each week, the group advises. “Given the
current state of the science on sedentary
behavior,” says AHA’s Deborah Rohm
Young, “it is appropriate to promote the
advisory ‘Sit less, move more.’”
