When does sitting become bad for health?

Discovery

BBC

Science, Technology

4.3 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2023

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How many hours do you spend sitting down per day? Six? Maybe eight? Or 10? Between commuting, working and relaxing, sitting can soon add up to hours and hours. James Gallagher delves into the science to find out exactly how much sitting is too much; when does it become worrying for our health? James visits a lab to explore what prolonged sitting does to the body and he’ll find out whether there’s anything you can do to offset the effects of sitting a lot. We’ll hear about the origins of sitting research - and just because we like to explore every angle on a topic, we’ll hear all about why standing too much can also be a worry.

(Photo: Woman sitting at desk in office. Credit: Richard Drury / Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Once you've wrapped up this podcast, how about trying a very British cult?
0:06.0	What happens if the person you trust with your future isn't what you think they are?
0:10.0	I did feel the whole time he was watching me Yeti. I saw a footprint and that really gave me gusmas.
0:16.4	Or people who knew me. Emme, I remember every secret, every lie. I'm the only one who knows the truth.
0:23.0	Discover more of our biggest podcast from 2023.
0:27.0	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:30.0	Stand up if you think 1,343 is greater.
0:35.0	I love standing up all the time because it's good for your soul, your body and your mind.
0:42.0	Wow.
0:43.0	Do you get bored if you sit down too long?
0:44.0	You don't have anything to do.
0:46.0	What would you say to somebody who's sat at home, sat on their sofa, hasn't gone up all day?
0:51.0	I would just tell them that it's healthy to get out of the house and to get some
0:55.6	more fresh air and exercise.
0:57.8	All together, standing good or bad.
1:00.0	It's good. very fun.
1:04.0	Welcome to Discovery from the BBC World Service.
1:07.0	I'm James Gallagher.
1:09.0	Now those children we just heard are really thinking about the amount of time they spend sitting versus standing up
1:15.2	and we're going to meet them properly later. But I think first we should just take a moment
1:20.0	ourselves to think about how much time we spend sitting every day.
1:25.0	Because if I'm completely honest, for me it's a lot.
	...

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