We all knew sitting at your desk for hours without a break is bad for your health but we didn’t know it correlates to the size of your waist!  The European Heart Journal published a study by Genevieve N. Healy, MPH, of the School of Population Health at University of Queensland, Australia measured cardio-metabolic and inflammation indicators in 4,757 adults who wore an accelerometer and participated in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003 to 2006.

The researchers were shocked to discover that even people who exercise regularly have larger waist circumferences and lower HDL cholesterol levels, as well as higher C-reactive protein levels and triglycerides (P for trends <0.05).  People who took more breaks during times when they were sedentary had smaller waists and lower C-reactive protein levels (P for trends <0.05). On average, people who took the most breaks had a waist circumference 4.1 cm smaller than those took the least (top 25% vs. bottom 25%).

Now that we know that sitting still for long periods of time is associated with heart disease risk factors,  it becomes even more important to take breaks to walk around or exercise during times when you will be sedentary.