The #1 Habit to Avoid for Better Heart Health

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in U.S. adults. While some heart disease risk factors like family history, sex and age are out of your control, others can be managed with a healthy diet and lifestyle. On the flip side, there are some habits we should avoid, say heart-health experts. And the biggest one is sitting too much.

Between desk jobs and catching up on our favorite TV shows, it’s all too easy to spend most of our day sitting. In fact, roughly 1 in 4 American adults spend more than eight hours sitting every day. So, we asked the experts to share why too much time sitting is so problematic for heart health and what you can do about it. Here’s what they told us.

Why You Should Avoid Sitting Too Much for Better Heart Health

It Can Slow Down Circulation

Your heart works hard all day long to pump blood throughout your body. However, it doesn’t do this job alone. Muscle contractions are also important for good circulation. “Long periods of sitting slow circulation, which can increase blood pressure and lead to blood pooling in the legs,” says cardiovascular nutrition specialist Veronica Rouse, M.A.N., RD, CDE. When resting muscles aren’t helping circulate your blood, your heart has to work harder to pump blood throughout your body. Over time, this may increase your risk of heart disease. That may be one of the reasons why research has found that people with sedentary jobs may be 34% more likely to die from heart disease than people who spend their workdays upright, says Rouse.

It May Contribute to Weight Gain

Being inactive is linked with weight gain and obesity, which puts you at a higher risk for heart disease, says Lisa Andrews, M.Ed., RD, LD. That’s not the only reason you should be breaking up periods of sitting time with some physical activity. Missing out on physical activity also encourages the development of visceral fat, aka belly fat. Too much visceral fat can increase inflammation, which, in turn, can contribute to more weight gain—a vicious cycle that can be hard to break.

It May Promote Insulin Resistance

Another reason to get up and out of your chair is that inactivity may lead to the development of insulin resistance. When you have insulin resistance, your body is less responsive to insulin. This hormone normally shuttles glucose from your blood into your cells for energy. Trouble is, when insulin stops working effectively, blood glucose levels rise. Over time, this can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes and can eventually damage your blood vessels, increasing your risk of heart disease. 

One review found that the more sitting time a person clocked each day, the higher their risk of insulin resistance. Regularly moving your body makes your muscles grab glucose from your blood to use for energy, potentially protecting you from heart troubles. 

You May Miss Out on Other Heart-Health Benefits

In addition to all the above adverse effects of sitting too much, too much sedentary time means you’ll miss out on all the other positive things moving your body does for your heart. “Physical activity directly improves nearly every cardiovascular risk factor,” says cardiologist  Elizabeth Klodas, M.D. “Even 20 minutes of walking a day helps lower blood pressure, reduces inflammation, improves blood sugar control and supports healthier cholesterol levels, all critical to reducing heart disease risk. More movement equals more protection.” 

Strategies to Improve Heart Health

Sitting too much is a hard habit to break, but it can do so much good for your heart. If you are looking for more ways to give your heart some love, try these expert  strategies:

• Make Time for Exercise Snacks: “Try exercise snacks, which are short bursts of movement throughout the day,” says Rouse. “These mini movement breaks are easy to fit into daily routines and have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and vascular health.” They’re so powerful that research has found that taking a quick one-minute exercise snack every one to four hours throughout the day can help lower blood sugar and triglycerides and improve blood flow throughout the body. If you could use a reminder, Rouse suggests setting a timer to tell you it’s time to get up and move.
• Embrace the Mediterranean Diet: Following a healthy eating pattern can also go a long way in protecting your heart health. Andrews recommends the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes heart-supporting fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds and olive oil. It’s so effective that research has found that it may cut the risk of dying from heart disease by nearly 50%.
• Get Checked: When life gets busy, it’s all too easy to skip (or cancel) routine doctors’ visits. For the sake of your heart, make your annual checkup a priority. “You can’t feel high cholesterol or blood pressure, so it’s important to get those numbers checked and address any risks early,” says Klodas. 
• Catch Those Zzz’s: When it comes to heart health, diet and exercise are usually the first things that come to mind. However, making sure you get enough quality sleep at night could be just as important. Regularly getting less than seven hours of sleep is associated with a higher risk of heart disease. No wonder the American Heart Association lists sleep as one of their “Life’s Essential 8” foundational strategies for better heart health.

Our Expert Take

Between desk jobs, long commutes and unwinding in front of the TV, most of us spend way too much time sitting. Yet, it’s silently raising our risk for heart disease. In fact, experts say avoiding too much time on your tush is the No. 1 thing to avoid for better heart health. Sitting too long can slow down blood circulation and may promote weight gain and insulin resistance. Plus, when you’re sitting, you’re missing out on the many benefits of physical activity. The good news is that even short one-minute movement breaks every hour or so can help counteract the effects of sitting. “You don’t have to be perfect … just better,” says Klodas. “Small, consistent changes can make a real difference, often in as little as 30 days.” So, set a timer on your phone to help you remember to get up and out of your chair for a quick movement break. Your heart will thank you for it.