Sitting All Day Is Making You Fat

Exercise all you want, but that office chair—or your couch at home—will erase your good intentions. Multiple studies, Olivia Judson writes, have shown that people who sit for extended periods can’t help but pack on the pounds. Consider this result: “Among people who sit in front of the television for more than three hours each day, those who exercise are as fat as those who don’t.” And there’s a “more sinister aspect to sitting.”

A sedentary routine doesn’t only rob your muscles of needed activity, Judson writes in the New York Times. “When you spend long periods sitting, your body actually does things that are bad for you,” like slashing production of molecules that stave off heart disease and aid in the metabolization of fats and sugars. But don’t fear: People who take short breaks, even just to stand for a while, are slimmer and healthier than their chair-bound brethren. Or you could “make sure that your television can only operate if you are pedaling furiously on an exercise bike.” (More sedentary behavior stories.)