Fidgeting could help ward off heart disease, medical researchers have said.
Sitting down for long periods can wipe out the benefits of an exercise session for your heart, a study by cardiologists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre found.
Desk-bound employees who squeeze in a gym session in their lunch breaks may be doing no more than simply cancelling out the effects of their morning at a computer, it suggests.
But getting up and moving around can stop your fitness levels from dropping – and keep your heart healthy.
Lead researcher Dr Jarett Berry said: ‘Avoiding sedentary behaviour throughout the day may represent an important companion strategy to improve fitness and health, outside of regular exercise activity.’
The study looked at 2,223 men and women with no known history of heart disease, asthma or strokes and measured their fitness and sedentary behaviour.
It found sitting down for two hours can be just as harmful as 20 minutes of exercise is beneficial.
Spending long periods sitting down has always been associated with raising the risk of heart disease but it has assumed that exercise can help eliminate this risk.
But this study suggests too long in a chair or sofa may be bad for the heart even for those who do exercise, according Dr Berry.
Dr Jacquelyn Kulinski said: ‘When sitting for prolonged periods, any movement is good movement.
‘So shift positions frequently, get up and stretch in the middle of a thought, pace while on a phone call, or even fidget.’
