Tips to incorporate more movement at your desk job

About 43 percent of Americans have jobs that can be classified as “highly sedentary,” with research suggesting that people who work desk jobs may spend up to 89 percent of their time sitting. That raises the risk of a host of serious health complications, including premature death.

If you work a desk job, it’s easy to feel frustrated by that information. Short of changing careers, there’s only so much you can do about being sedentary for a good part of the day. But cardiologists agree that sitting down all day is terrible for your health. That’s true even if you’re a regular exerciser.

Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in February found that doing the recommended 150 minutes-plus of moderate-to-vigorous exercise during the week probably isn’t enough to balance out the cardiovascular risks of sitting all day.

“Think of your body like a car: It’s meant to run, not just idle,” says Dr. Catherine Weinberg, director of Adult Congenital Heart Disease at Northwell’s Lenox Hill Hospital.

But there’s an easy way to combat all that sitting — it’s just that many people aren’t doing it. Here’s how cardiologists recommend supporting your heart health, even when you have to sit for work.

Why sitting is bad

There are a few reasons why sitting isn’t great for heart health.

“When you’re sitting, you’re not getting enough physical activity. Your body is designed for regular physical activity,” says Cheng-Han Chen, interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California.

Being physically active helps to increase your cardiovascular activity, including your blood flow, he says, explaining, “That helps your cardiovascular system become more efficient at its job. It will help improve blood pressure and heart rate.”

Being sedentary also increases the risk of developing blood clots, says Dr. Alfonso H. Waller, chief of the Division of Cardiology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

“Blood clots can form from being in a seated position for an extended period of time,” he says. “It’s important to move your legs.”

Blood clots are serious: An estimated 60,000 to 100,000 Americans die from blood clot complications each year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But being physically inactive just isn’t good for your overall health, says Dr. Dawn Warner Kershner, a cardiologist with The Heart Center at Mercy in Baltimore. Inactivity has been linked to a range of health issues, including a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, obesity and more.

“While the 10,000 steps per day recommendation has been a bit debunked, walking at least 6,000 steps per day is important,” she says. “This is hard to accomplish if you are sitting at a desk for eight-plus hours per day.”

If you sit for work

If you have to sit for work, cardiologists want you to stop avoiding movement breaks during your day. Research suggests that getting just 20 to 25 minutes of physical activity during the day can help offset the risk of dying early from being sedentary. When you break that up during the workday, it means you only need to move for a few minutes at a time.

“When you sit for hours, you’re essentially putting your metabolism in park,” Weinberg says. “Blood flow slows and your largest muscles switch off. This creates the perfect storm for heart problems, increasing your risk of high blood pressure, increased cholesterol, diabetes and even serious events like a heart attack or stroke. That’s why all-day movement is key.”

Chen recommends aiming to get up and move at least once an hour: “Just taking short walks for a minute or two can help with improving your cardiovascular health.”

Waller agrees, adding, “It’s important to build these breaks into your daily routine.”

Ultimately, Weinberg suggests thinking of your regular workouts as your main activity, but also keeping in mind that you still need to be active for the rest of the day as much as possible.

Incorporating more movement

It can be hard to remember to get up and move when you’re swamped at work, but cardiologists say there are a few things to consider.

“You can set alarms to walk around,” Waller says. You can also plan to focus on movement before your workday, during your workday and after. “That can all improve heart health,” he explains.

He also points out that you can try to work around your existing schedule, like taking the long way to fill up your water bottle or making a point to get up and move around between meetings.

Kershner recommends walking the hallways of your office or home during those breaks, or climbing a few quick flights of stairs. If you don’t feel like setting an alarm, she suggests making a habit of doing this every hour, on the hour.

If you’re on a call that doesn’t require you to take notes, it can also be helpful to stand up and walk around while you talk, Weinberg says.

Essentially, anything you can do to move more can be helpful. “Little changes add up,” she points out.