How do I stop sitting so much?

Prolonged uninterrupted sitting carries its own risks, distinct from whether you exercise. Someone who runs for an hour and then sits for ten is described as an active couch potato, and the evidence suggests the sitting still counts.

Safety

Step by step

1. Aim to break up sitting every 30 minutes.A couple of minutes of standing or walking. The frequency matters more than the duration — it is the uninterrupted stretch that is the issue.
2. Use a prompt.A timer, a watch reminder, or tying it to something that already happens — end of a meeting, end of a chapter. Willpower alone does not survive a busy day.
3. Attach movement to existing habits.Stand for phone calls, walk while listening to something, refill the water glass regularly so you have to get up.
4. Make the default require standing.Put the bin, the printer or your water further away. Small friction in the right direction works better than intention.
5. Walk for part of meetings.Audio-only calls do not require sitting. A walking call is often a better conversation as well.
6. Alternate sitting and standing if you have the option.A standing desk helps if you alternate. Standing still all day has its own problems — movement is the point, not the posture.
7. Break up the evening too.The longest uninterrupted sitting for most people is not work, it is the evening. Standing during adverts or between episodes is a genuine change.
8. Count the small movement as real.Stairs, walking to the shop, standing on the train. It all counts and it accumulates more than people credit.

Tips

• You can meet the exercise guidance and still sit too much. They are related but somewhat separate things.
• The most sustainable changes are the ones built into how a room or a routine works, not the ones requiring you to remember.
• Do not aim to eliminate sitting. Aim to interrupt it — that is what the evidence points at.

Questions people ask