Many people believe that an hour at the gym cancels out an entire day of sitting.
According to Dr Ashok, "Sedentary behavior is any waking activity performed while sitting, reclining, or lying down with little to no energy expenditure.
You can go to the gym every morning and still spend most of the day sitting, leaving your cardiovascular system exposed to the harmful effects of prolonged inactivity."
This means someone can complete a morning workout and still be considered highly sedentary if the rest of the day is spent behind a desk.
Even people who met the recommended exercise guidelines were not completely protected from the harmful effects of prolonged sitting.
Many people believe that an hour at the gym cancels out an entire day of sitting. Unfortunately, the human body does not work like a mathematical equation.
According to Dr Ashok, "Sedentary behavior is any waking activity performed while sitting, reclining, or lying down with little to no energy expenditure. It is different from simply not exercising. You can go to the gym every morning and still spend most of the day sitting, leaving your cardiovascular system exposed to the harmful effects of prolonged inactivity."
This means someone can complete a morning workout and still be considered highly sedentary if the rest of the day is spent behind a desk.
A major study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) in 2025 tracked more than 89,000 people and found that the risk of heart failure and cardiovascular death rose sharply when daily sitting time crossed approximately 10.6 hours. Even people who met the recommended exercise guidelines were not completely protected from the harmful effects of prolonged sitting.
