• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Erin Brockovich, the activist who defeated a utility giant and inspired a Julia Roberts film, is pushing data centers to be more transparent

2

Social Security unraveling: 7,100 workers sacked, performance metrics retired, disability claims falling

3

'Where we are today is frightening': a Pulitzer-winning historian sees a doomsday scenario involving China and the national debt

1

Erin Brockovich, the activist who defeated a utility giant and inspired a Julia Roberts film, is pushing data centers to be more transparent

2

Social Security unraveling: 7,100 workers sacked, performance metrics retired, disability claims falling

3

'Where we are today is frightening': a Pulitzer-winning historian sees a doomsday scenario involving China and the national debt
HealthSitting

Stand Every 30 Minutes to Add Years to Your Life

By
Emily Price
Emily Price
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Emily Price
Emily Price
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 13, 2017, 12:30 PM ET

By now we all probably know that we shouldn’t sit glued to our desks all day. However, you might need to stand up a little more often than you think.

A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine this week found that sitting for prolonged periods of time, even if you’re a heavy exerciser when you’re not at the office, can be deadly. Researchers suggest that people who have seated jobs get up every 30 minutes to help counter the effects of spending the day seated.

For the study, the team looked at 8,000 Americans over the age of 45 over four years. Participants all wore accelerometers so their movement could be tracked. In general, those that moved around more were more healthy. That was something the group expected. What they didn’t expect was to find a correlation between the death rates of participants and how many hours they went in a day not getting up.

With that, they learned that participants that sat for longer periods of time during the day were more likely to have died during the study, even when they were active outside of those long sitting sessions.

They argue that while sitting, in general, is hazardous to your health, sitting for short periods of time “is the least harmful pattern of accumulation.”

About the Author
By Emily Price
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Health

Create Creatine Gummies Review (2026): Tasted and Tested by Experts
HealthDietary Supplements
Create Creatine Gummies Review (2026): Tasted and Tested by Experts
By Christina SnyderJune 2, 2026
14 hours ago
Transparent Labs Probiotics Review (2026): RD Reviewed
HealthDietary Supplements
Transparent Labs Probiotics Review (2026): RD Reviewed
By Emily PharesJune 2, 2026
16 hours ago
The Best Iodine Supplements (2026): Expert Tested and Reviewed
HealthDietary Supplements
The Best Iodine Supplements (2026): Expert Tested and Reviewed
By Emily PharesJune 2, 2026
16 hours ago
The Best Macro Tracking Apps of 2026: Apps to Help You Hit Your Goals
HealthDietary Supplements
The Best Macro Tracking Apps of 2026: Apps to Help You Hit Your Goals
By Christina SnyderJune 1, 2026
2 days ago
The elderly and injured are using robots as home care support to help them get around their home
Innovationrobot
The elderly and injured are using robots as home care support to help them get around their home
By The Associated Press and Matt O'BrienJune 1, 2026
2 days ago
Experimental pill nearly doubles survival time for people with advanced pancreatic cancer. ‘I actually started crying’
HealthHealth
Experimental pill nearly doubles survival time for people with advanced pancreatic cancer. ‘I actually started crying’
By Lauran Neergaard and The Associated PressMay 31, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

Erin Brockovich, the activist who defeated a utility giant and inspired a Julia Roberts film, is pushing data centers to be more transparent
Environment
Erin Brockovich, the activist who defeated a utility giant and inspired a Julia Roberts film, is pushing data centers to be more transparent
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 1, 2026
2 days ago
Social Security unraveling: 7,100 workers sacked, performance metrics retired, disability claims falling
North America
Social Security unraveling: 7,100 workers sacked, performance metrics retired, disability claims falling
By Katie Savin, Callie Freitag, Matthew Borus and The ConversationJune 2, 2026
19 hours ago
'Where we are today is frightening': a Pulitzer-winning historian sees a doomsday scenario involving China and the national debt
Banking
'Where we are today is frightening': a Pulitzer-winning historian sees a doomsday scenario involving China and the national debt
By Nick LichtenbergJune 2, 2026
22 hours ago
The Iran conflict has disrupted oil supply. Gulf states are now looking to multi-billion-dollar investments in renewables 
Energy
The Iran conflict has disrupted oil supply. Gulf states are now looking to multi-billion-dollar investments in renewables 
By Melissa HancockJune 1, 2026
2 days ago
Cognizant CEO is swimming against the tide on AI: he's hiring over 20,000 graduates this year and says AI tokenmaxxing is a 'vanity metric'
Conferences
Cognizant CEO is swimming against the tide on AI: he's hiring over 20,000 graduates this year and says AI tokenmaxxing is a 'vanity metric'
By Preston ForeJune 1, 2026
1 day ago
Trump tells Netanyahu, 'You're f—ing crazy' and Wall Street sees it as a sign he’s losing patience with the war and wants it done
Investing
Trump tells Netanyahu, 'You're f—ing crazy' and Wall Street sees it as a sign he’s losing patience with the war and wants it done
By Jim EdwardsJune 2, 2026
22 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.