Your Heart Doesn’t Like to Sit Around

Many of us spend our days parked in a chair – whether it’s at a desk, in front of the TV, or buckled into a car or plane seat. We sit to work, we sit to relax, we sit to get from point A to point B. But have you ever wondered what all that sitting might be doing to your heart?

It turns out that your cardiovascular system is not a fan of your chair.

The Consequences of a Sedentary Lifestyle

A sedentary lifestyle has become the norm for millions, and it includes anything that keeps you sitting or lying down (while you’re awake) and not expending much energy. Think of office jobs, binge-watching TV, scrolling through your phone, and long commutes – that’s modern life. Since 1950, sedentary jobs in the U.S. have increased by 83%, marking a significant shift in how our bodies are expected to function during the day.¹

Taking a load off and relaxing now and then is great. But when it’s all you do, there’s a problem. And if you have a sedentary job, your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) increases even more. Studies have shown that sitting for more than 10 hours a day is associated with a measurable increase in the risk of CVD, including heart attacks and strokes. In a review of over 720,000 people, those sitting 12.5 hours per day had a 14% higher risk of developing CVD compared to those who sat 2.5 hours per day.²

Why is this such a problem for your cardiovascular system?

For one thing, physical inactivity is associated with dysregulation of blood pressure and cholesterol levels. When muscles aren’t regularly engaged, the cardiovascular system doesn’t receive the stimulation it needs to maintain optimal function. In one study, researchers found that people who sat for long periods had higher diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in a blood pressure reading) and lower HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol).³ Higher diastolic blood pressure and lower HDL cholesterol suggest increased pressure in the arteries, forcing the heart to work harder as it maintains steady blood flow.

Prolonged sitting can also lead to changes in how blood vessels themselves function. In as little as five days of reduced physical movement, participants in one study saw a significant drop in healthy artery function and an increase in signs of endothelial cell damage (these are the cells that help keep blood vessels flexible and smooth).⁴ The loss of elasticity makes it harder for blood to flow efficiently, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, clot formation, and plaque buildup. One global analysis found that people who sit more than 8 hours a day without physical activity had a risk of dying that was similar to smoking or obesity.⁵The body simply isn’t built to be idle for that long.

Being sedentary adds up in ways we don’t even realize. Work, commuting, leisure – it’s all sitting. In the U.S., sitting time has jumped from about 26 hours per week in 1965 to nearly 38 hours by 2009. In the UK, the situation is even worse, with the working week rising from 30 to 42 hours.⁶ That’s a full-time job’s worth of sitting. Watching TV for four or more hours per day? That alone raises your risk of dying from heart disease by up to 80% compared to watching less than two hours.⁷

Move Through Life With a Happy Heart

While all of this sounds scary, fortunately, the damage caused by a sedentary lifestyle can be prevented by modifying daily routines. Sitting is a choice, as is deciding to get active. You may not be able to leave your desk job, but you can build habits throughout your week that make your heart happy.

The simplest thing to do is just move – any movement is better than none. According to the Heart Research Institute (HRI), even light physical activity helps combat sedentary behavior and improves health outcomes, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, better blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improved sleep and mental health.⁸

You can break up the day by walking the dog an extra block, doing a loop around the yard after checking the mail, dancing in the kitchen while dinner cooks, or pulling a few weeds in the garden. Learning new things, such as tai chi, recreational sports, paddleboarding, or rock climbing, can make physical activity feel more like a hobby. Enjoy morning stretches, join a hiking group, or spend the weekend exploring a nature trail. The point is that you are up and moving. Even making a conscious decision to park a little farther from the store or take the stairs instead of the elevator can add a few extra minutes of movement.

If you’re more into traditional exercising, combining cardio workouts with resistance training is the way to go. Engaging in aerobics exercises strengthens the heart and blood vessels, improves oxygen utilization, and reduces cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Resistance training, such as weightlifting or using resistance bands, builds muscle, helps manage blood sugar levels, and improves fat distribution. When combined, these two types of exercise have an additive effect, improving heart health more than either alone and reducing the risk of plaque buildup, blood clots, and stroke.⁹

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (like brisk walking or swimming) or 75 minutes of high-intensity activity (like running or fast cycling), along with two days per week of muscle-strengthening exercises.10 People who met physical activity guidelines, whether by walking, cycling, playing sports, or even doing housework, saw improvements in heart failure risk, stroke risk, and overall cardiovascular outcomes.¹⁰

The heart thrives on consistent movement, so be sure to weave simple habits into your daily routine even when life demands you to sit. Short bursts of muscle engagement throughout the day, such as getting up to stretch or swapping the break room chair for a quick walk outside, help your heart do its job more efficiently and amplify the benefits of working out.

Intense workouts can be beneficial for most people, but if you have any underlying health conditions or plan to engage in more intense activities than usual, consult your healthcare provider first. If you have to start low and go slow, that’s alright. Your heart will thank you for it, now and in the years to come.

Dr. Tordini is a part of Florida Medical Clinic, Orlando Health.

1. Donnelly Michos, E. (2025). Sitting Disease: How a Sedentary Lifestyle Affects Heart Health. Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/sitting-disease-how-a-sedentary-lifestyle-affects-heart-health.
2. Pandey, A., Salahuddin, U., Garg, S., Ayers, C., Kulinski, J., Anand, V., Mayo, H., Kumbhani, D. J., de Lemos, J., & Berry, J. D. (2016). Continuous Dose-Response Association Between Sedentary Time and Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. JAMA Cardiology, 1(5), 575–583. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamacardio.2016.1567.
3. Kim S. Y. (2018). Sedentary Lifestyle and Cardiovascular Health. Korean journal of family medicine, 39(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2018.39.1.1.
4. Lavie, C. J., Ozemek, C., Carbone, S., Katzmarzyk, P. T., & Blair, S. N. (2019). Sedentary Behavior, Exercise, and Cardiovascular Health. American Heart Association Journals: Circulation Research, 124(5). https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.312669.
5. Heart Research Institute. (2025). Inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle • Heart Research Institute UK. Heart Research Institute UK. https://www.hriuk.org/health/learn/risk-factors/inactivity-and-a-sedentary-lifestyle.
6. Kim S. Y. (2018). Sedentary Lifestyle and Cardiovascular Health. Korean journal of family medicine, 39(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2018.39.1.1.
7. Lavie, C. J., Ozemek, C., Carbone, S., Katzmarzyk, P. T., & Blair, S. N. (2019). Sedentary Behavior, Exercise, and Cardiovascular Health. American Heart Association Journals: Circulation Research, 124(5). https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.312669.
8. Heart Research Institute. (2025). Inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle • Heart Research Institute UK. Heart Research Institute UK. https://www.hriuk.org/health/learn/risk-factors/inactivity-and-a-sedentary-lifestyle.
9. Ghodeshwar, G. K., Dube, A., & Khobragade, D. (2023). Impact of Lifestyle Modifications on Cardiovascular Health: A Narrative Review. Cureus, 15(7), e42616. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.42616.
10. Lavie, C. J., Ozemek, C., Carbone, S., Katzmarzyk, P. T., & Blair, S. N. (2019). Sedentary Behavior, Exercise, and Cardiovascular Health. American Heart Association Journals: Circulation Research, 124(5). https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.312669.