In the 21st century, advances in technology and changes in our habits have led us to an unprecedented situation. Sitting in front of a computer, in a car, watching TV, or simply resting has become the norm in our daily lives.
On a typical day in 2025, the average person spends about half an hour commuting to work seated, 8 hours (or more) sitting in front of a computer, another half hour returning home, and finally at least 1–2 hours sitting in front of the TV. We’re exceeding even our nighttime sleep hours!
What is sedentary behavior?
Sedentary behavior is defined as any low-energy activity performed while sitting, reclining, or lying down during waking hours. This includes anything from watching TV to working at a computer or commuting by car.
Although it may seem harmless, we spend between 55% and 70% of our day engaging in sedentary activities—roughly 9 to 11 hours each day. One study involving over 49,000 people across 20 countries found that the average sitting time was 5.8 hours per day—and many people exceeded 9 hours! (Bauman A. et al., 2011).
Sedentary ≠ Physically Inactive
These terms are often confused, but it’s important to understand the difference. Sedentary behavior involves low-energy activities, while physical inactivity refers to not meeting the World Health Organization’s recommended levels of moderate or vigorous physical activity (150 minutes/week of moderate activity, 75 minutes/week of vigorous activity, or a combination of both) (Bull FC et al., 2020).
Here’s the key point: someone can be physically active—engaging in vigorous exercise 3–4 times a week and meeting WHO recommendations—yet still be considered sedentary. This might happen if the rest of their day is spent sitting at an office job and then relaxing at home in front of a screen.
This situation is clearly illustrated by Tremblay M. et al., 2010 in the following graphic. Although both individuals show a daily peak of physical activity, only one maintains an optimal energy expenditure throughout the day to be considered non-sedentary (above 1.5 metabolic equivalents or METs).
Sedentarism: A Public Health Problem
As we’ve been discussing, the current widespread sedentary lifestyle poses a serious challenge to public health systems. Numerous studies have shown that prolonged sitting is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (Takagi H. et al., 2019), type 2 diabetes (Grøntved A. et al., 2011), muscle deterioration (Battista F. et al., 2025), osteoporosis (Tremblay M. et al., 2010), and even increased mortality risk (Xu C. et al., 2019).
How can we reduce sedentarism?
The solution is simple: move more!
Interventions aimed at reducing sitting time have shown promising results. Taking regular breaks “active pauses” such as standing up, walking, or doing a few exercises, can help fight against the negative health impacts and even enhance cognitive function (Battista F. et al., 2025).
Something as simple as preparing a short program with 4–5 easy exercises that prompt us to get up every 1–2 hours, or setting reminders and alarms, can be highly effective.
✅ Stand up every 30 minutes
✅ Walk while talking on the phone
✅ Take the stairs instead of the elevator
✅ Adjust your computer monitor to change posture
✅ Go for short walks after meals
✅ Stretch throughout the day
It’s important to emphasize that even if we meet the WHO’s recommended weekly physical activity levels, studies show this isn’t enough to offset all the harmful effects of prolonged sitting (Ekelund U. et al., 2016). So, if you can incorporate even more movement into your day, your body and mind will thank you.
References:
- Bauman A, Ainsworth BE, Sallis JF, Hagströmer M, Craig CL, Bull FC, Pratt M, Venugopal K, Chau J, Sjöström M; IPS Group. The descriptive epidemiology of sitting. A 20-country comparison using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Am J Prev Med. 2011 Aug;41(2):228-35. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2011.05.003. PMID: 21767731.
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, Borodulin K, Buman MP, Cardon G, Carty C, Chaput JP, Chastin S, Chou R, Dempsey PC, DiPietro L, Ekelund U, Firth J, Friedenreich CM, Garcia L, Gichu M, Jago R, Katzmarzyk PT, Lambert E, Leitzmann M, Milton K, Ortega FB, Ranasinghe C, Stamatakis E, Tiedemann A, Troiano RP, van der Ploeg HP, Wari V, Willumsen JF. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020 Dec;54(24):1451-1462. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955. PMID: 33239350; PMCID: PMC7719906.
- Takagi H, Hari Y, Nakashima K, Kuno T, Ando T; ALICE (All-Literature Investigation of Cardiovascular Evidence) Group. Meta-analysis of the Relation of Television-Viewing Time and Cardiovascular Disease. Am J Cardiol. 2019 Dec 1;124(11):1674-1683. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2019.08.032. Epub 2019 Sep 6. PMID: 31586528.
- Grøntved A, Hu FB. Television viewing and risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2011 Jun 15;305(23):2448-55. doi: 10.1001/jama.2011.812. PMID: 21673296; PMCID: PMC4324728.
- Battista F, Duregon F, Vecchiato M, Ermolao A, Neunhaeuserer D. Sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity: A mutual interplay with early and overt frailty. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2025 Jun;35(6):103971. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2025.103971. Epub 2025 Mar 12. PMID: 40180827.
- Tremblay MS, Colley RC, Saunders TJ, Healy GN, Owen N. Physiological and health implications of a sedentary lifestyle. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2010 Dec;35(6):725-40. doi: 10.1139/H10-079. PMID: 21164543.
- Xu C, Furuya-Kanamori L, Liu Y, Færch K, Aadahl M, A Seguin R, LaCroix A, Basterra-Gortari FJ, Dunstan DW, Owen N, Doi SAR. Sedentary Behavior, Physical Activity, and All-Cause Mortality: Dose-Response and Intensity Weighted Time-Use Meta-analysis. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2019 Oct;20(10):1206-1212.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2019.05.001. Epub 2019 Jul 2. PMID: 31272857.
- Ekelund U, Steene-Johannessen J, Brown WJ, Fagerland MW, Owen N, Powell KE, Bauman A, Lee IM; Lancet Physical Activity Series 2 Executive Committe; Lancet Sedentary Behaviour Working Group. Does physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? A harmonised meta-analysis of data from more than 1 million men and women. Lancet. 2016 Sep 24;388(10051):1302-10. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30370-1. Epub 2016 Jul 28. Erratum in: Lancet. 2016 Sep 24;388(10051):e6. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31677-4. PMID: 27475271.