00:00 You've probably heard the phrase "sitting kills" and that's because the more sedentary your lifestyle,
00:04 the higher your chances for some serious negative health consequences.
00:08 Those include a higher chance of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and even a shorter life expectancy.
00:14 Now scientists say they have the first longitudinal data for how many steps you really need to counteract all your time sitting.
00:21 They tracked the health and activity data for more than 72,000 volunteers since 2006.
00:26 Finding that walking 9,000 to 10,000 steps every day or the equivalent of around 5 miles would effectively counteract a sedentary lifestyle.
00:34 A sedentary lifestyle was defined by sitting on average 10.6 hours every day.
00:39 10,000 steps was found to significantly reduce the negative health effects associated with inactivity,
00:45 with the study finding that those who achieved those steps per day had a 21% lower chance of being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease and 39% lower risk of mortality.
00:55 However, if you can't make the full 10,000, even a portion of those steps can help counteract the effects of sitting,
01:01 with the researchers finding that 50% of the health benefits could be achieved when participants reached just 4,000 to 4,500 steps per day.
01:10 (upbeat music)
Comments