Sitting on your bum all day at work has been proven to be detrimental to health. In fact, one study found that prolonged sitting can increase your risk for cancer by more than 60%. Moving a little throughout the day—also known as fidgeting—can counteract the problems that come with sitting for extended periods of time. A new study, published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that women who sat for long periods of time have a lower mortality rate if they considered themselves moderately to very fidgety, compared to women who said they only fidgeted occasionally. Women who sat for long periods of time without fidgeting had an increased risk of death that wasn’t seen among other groups. “The current study…provides important information that though longer time spent sitting may have negative consequences, simple behaviors may have the potential to offset this,” the study authors write in the report.
This article was originally published on September 23, 2015
