Sitting a lot increases your risk of cancer, diabetes or cardiovascular disease. A new report shows that Germans are sitting more than ever before.
“The Germans are more and more glued to their chairs, armchairs and sofas. According to this year’s survey, Germans sit for an average of 554 minutes, i.e. more than nine hours per working day,” says Dr. Clemens Muth, CEO of Deutsche Krankenversicherung AG (DKV), the DKV Report 2023. The respondents aged 18 to 29 would even sit for more than ten hours a day, it said.
Sitting for a long time can shorten our life expectancy. For example, people who sit a lot have an increased risk of developing the following diseases, as listed in the 2023 DKV report:
- type 2 diabetes
- obesity
- high blood pressure
- cardiovascular diseases
- Cancer
Avoid back pain and bad posture
Would you like to bring more activity into your everyday life? Simple measures are often enough to get away from the chair, sofa or car seat. Back pain and poor posture can also be effectively prevented if you move as often as possible. For example, introduce the following routines:
- Get a standing workstation and alternate between sitting and standing time intervals as often as possible.
- Avoid elevators, use the stairs instead.
- Leave your car behind as much as possible and take the bike instead.
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- Get up at least once an hour.
- Make an appointment to exercise twice a week.
- Introduce “moving breaks” in which you do stretching and strengthening exercises.
Another good reason to incorporate more exercise into everyday life: According to model calculations, people who sit a lot can reduce their risk of dying earlier by around 20 percent if, for example, they replace an hour of sitting with walking. This is information from the DKV Report 2023, which was published in cooperation with the German Sport University in Cologne.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.
