The #1 Habit to Break for a Longer Life, According to a Dietitian
It’s been called the “new smoking”—and it’s something that most of us do on a daily basis.
Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD
You're probably familiar with health habits that help you live longer, like eating more fruits and vegetables, being physically active, getting good sleep and managing stress. And you're probably also familiar with a few that can do just the opposite—like smoking, eating a diet high in added sugars, and regularly drinking alcohol in excess. But there's another habit that shortens life span that you may not know about. Some experts have gone as far as calling it "the new smoking." And it's a habit that most Americans do on the daily.
What Is the #1 Habit to Break to Live Longer?
The most important habit to break if you want to live longer is sitting for long periods each day. According to a 2018 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, approximately 81% of U.S. adults sit for four hours or more each day, and, of those, 26% sit for eight hours or more. Daily "sitting time" includes any activities performed in a seated or reclined position that require little energy expenditure, such as working on a laptop, watching TV, playing video games, driving or riding in a car, and even eating a meal. Altogether, sitting time is thought to make up over half of most adults' waking hours.
The concern with sitting for a long portion of the day is that it's associated with an increased risk of early death. Using data from over 1 million participants, a 2018 meta-analysis in the European Journal of Epidemiology found that risk of death from all causes, risk of death from heart disease, and the odds of developing type 2 diabetes increased significantly as total sitting time increased. Sitting for eight hours or more each day appeared to pose the greatest risk. Results from a 2023 trial published in the Journal of Diabetes Research also suggest that the greater the sitting time, the greater the likelihood of insulin resistance. The risks increased significantly when daily sitting time averaged eight hours or more and was coupled with little to no physical activity.
Related: 7 Things to That May Reduce Your Heart Disease Risk
A 2021 study in the journal Aging found that sitting for eight hours or more a day reduced lifespan by two to four years, but this figure jumped to eight years when coupled with physical inactivity. This is a big deal, considering heart disease, stroke and diabetes are consistently ranked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as leading causes of death in the U.S. And only 1 in 4 Americans meet the physical activity recommendations.
Related: Why You Should Protect Your Heart Health Even If You Don't Have Heart Disease
How Does Sitting Shorten Life Span?
The mechanisms aren't fully understood, but most are attributed to diminished blood flow and muscle activity that occur with periods of prolonged sitting. As you sit, circulation slows, and blood begins to pool in the lower limbs. This leads to a temporary stiffening and dysfunction of the blood vessels, as well as an increase in blood pressure. Glucose, insulin and triglyceride levels also increase, largely due to metabolic changes associated with the decline in muscle movement and energy expenditure. Over time, all of this can promote the development of heart diseases, insulin resistance, diabetes and systemic inflammation, according to a 2021 review study in the journal Nature Reviews Cardiology.
Related: What Happens to Your Body When You Sit All Day
How Does Breaking This Habit Help You Live Longer?
The good news is that this isn't a habit you have to fully break. Sitting at various times during a day is normal and can be part of a healthy lifestyle. But unless you're constantly on your feet, sitting is likely a habit that's quietly affecting your health to some degree and could shorten your life span. So what researchers suggest doing is interrupting sedentary sitting blocks with brief movement breaks. Simply engaging in a few minutes of light activity, when done regularly throughout the day, can offset some of the risks associated with prolonged sitting. The quick bursts of movement get blood circulating and muscles contracting and using glucose. Standing and moving may also help stabilize the increased pressure in blood vessels that's associated with sitting.
How long and how frequent should these movement breaks be? A small 2023 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Medicine examined the minimum amount and frequency that movement breaks needed to be to offset most risks from sitting over an eight-hour period. The researchers found that walking for five minutes every 30 minutes (brisk or even at a more leisurely stroll pace of 1.9 mph) seemed to attenuate most of sitting's negative effects. For adults with diabetes, a 2021 study in Diabetes Care suggested that breaking up 60-minute blocks of sitting with six minutes of activity was effective at deterring some of the glucose and insulin increases associated with prolonged sitting.
Do I Really Need to Break This Habit If I'm Physically Active?
Probably, if your daily sitting time exceeds four hours. Here's why: Sitting is a form of sedentary behavior, which is a health factor that carries its own risks, independent of physical activity status. Technically, you can sit for eight or more hours each day, yet also be considered physically active because you meet or exceed the weekly goals established in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity each week). While exercise appears to lessen the risks associated with sitting, it doesn't completely cancel them out.
How Do I Break This Habit?
No guideline for maximum amount of daily sitting time has been established, but the 2021 Nature Reviews Cardiology study suggests that less than four hours a day should be spent sitting. This is consistent with what other studies point to as ideal from a risk-reduction standpoint. But sitting for less than four hours each day is hard to achieve unless you're already very active or have a physically active job. The goal may even feel unrealistic for many when commutes, work duties and other daily obligations that are done sitting (or expected to be done sitting) are considered. So instead of immediately attempting to slash your daily sitting time to four hours, start small. According to the authors of the study, reducing total sitting time by just 30 minutes a day could offer benefits.
Here are three tips to help you sit less, move more and lessen the risks of sitting each day.
1. Take Movement Breaks
Interrupt long periods of sitting with a few minutes of activity. Over the course of the day, these breaks can easily shave 30 minutes or more off your sitting time. A 2020 Sports Medicine meta-analysis associated breaking up prolonged periods of sitting with diminished changes in glucose, insulin and triglycerides, and the changes in glucose were even more significant for individuals with larger body sizes. Can't step away from your laptop for a five-minute walk every half-hour? Aim to get a few minutes of movement every 60 or 90 minutes instead. Try setting reminders on your watch or phone to help make regular activity breaks a habit. (Check out how walking an extra 10 minutes a day may also slow the aging process.)
2. Fidget More
Bounce your leg, rotate your ankles. A small, randomized control trial published in the journal Obesity in 2021 suggests sitting is one scenario when fidgeting is a good thing! Study subjects sat for 3 hours, during which they were told to fidget their lower body parts for 2.5 minutes and then stop for 2.5 minutes. When compared with a control group that just sat still, the fidgeters had increased blood flow and the changes in glucose and insulin associated with sitting were diminished. This suggests that fidgeting may be a useful way to minimize some changes associated with prolonged periods of sitting, particularly for those who are at risk for or have insulin resistance.
3. Meet Weekly Activity Recommendations
Engaging in regular exercise or physical activity diminishes some of the risks associated with prolonged periods of sitting, so hitting physical activity goals is key. A 2019 study in BMJ found that the risks associated with sitting significantly diminished the closer people came to meeting or exceeding weekly activity recommendations. The study also highlighted that the greater the decrease in sedentary behavior and increase in activity—even if you don't meet the weekly exercise recommendations, or if that activity isn't planned exercise—the more significantly the risk of death goes down. Check out 7 Habits You Should Break If You're Trying to Exercise More.
The Bottom Line
If you find yourself sitting for more than four hours most days, incorporating quick activity breaks is key for lessening the harmful effects that can shorten life span. Try to get up and move every 30 minutes, but if that's not possible, aim to break up sitting periods every 60 to 90 minutes with a few minutes of activity. This break doesn't have to feel like exercise or make you break a sweat. Even a five-minute lower-intensity walk around the office or with your dog offers benefits. But also try to stick to your planned workouts. It could go a long way in helping to minimize the risks associated with sitting.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
