A heart surgeon has revealed exactly why sitting all day can be so dangerous for your health – and what you should be doing to counteract the potential risks.
The crucial information was shared in a new video posted to TikTok by Dr Jeremy London, a cardiovascular surgeon with over 25 years of experience.
In the clip, Dr London highlighted just how lethal working at a desk job can be.
'The average American spends nearly half of their waking hours sitting,' Dr London explained in the beginning of the video.
'Nearly half. And this causes bigger downstream problems than you may realize,' he said.
He said for those who spend most of their time sitting, there's an 'increased risk' of early death and heart disease.
Plus, it puts you at twice the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Cardiovascular disease is America's number one killer that takes one million lives every year.
A heart surgeon has revealed exactly why sitting all day can be so dangerous for your health - and what you should be doing to counteract the potential risks (stock image)
The disease, which includes coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke, among others, kills more Americans than cancer and dementia combined, and experts estimate it is on the rise nationwide.
Dr Jeremy London (pictured) is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon in Georgia
'A sedentary lifestyle makes it more difficult for your body to metabolize sugar, blood flow slows, and it sets the stage for quiet weight gain,' the heart surgeon shared.
But if you're going to make a commitment to living a more active lifestyle, it's not just a problem that you can fix overnight.
'A one-hour workout in the morning does not offset 10 hours of being sedentary,' the doctor said.
'What matters is movement throughout the day,' he continued.
'Take the stairs, walk to lunch, stand up while you're taking your phone calls, do 10 air squats in between meetings, get outside.'
The cardiovascular surgeon stressed that the most important thing for your health is continuing to move throughout the day.
'That's the medicine,' he added.
But if you're going to make a commitment to living a more active lifestyle, it's not just a problem that you can fix overnight (stock image)
In the comments section, many seemed to agree with his sentiments, even sharing their own tips.
'Use the 30/60 rule. For every 30 minutes of sitting do 60 seconds of an activity, like sit to stand or high marching.
'Set a timer if you need to,' one person wrote.
Another seconded, 'These videos get me moving. They are motivating.'
