Video: How to keep your desk chair from killing you By Mayo Clinic Staff Share Facebook Twitter Print details Maybe you exercise regularly. But if you sit all day, you may still have a higher risk of heart disease. But you can set habits that get you moving, even at work. Watch for 3 top tips for avoiding "desk-job syndrome." Suggestion: Stand while you watch this video. Show transcript How to keep your desk chair from killing you Spending a lot of time sitting increases your risk of death from heart disease — even if you exercise. Good: Nudge yourself. Get up to move every 30 minutes. Better: Make a rule. Stand whenever you talk on the phone (or every time you text). Best: Stand to work. And don't forget the comfy shoes. Guidance from the experts in cardiology and cardiovascular surgery at Mayo Clinic. Show references Matthews CE, et al. Amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors and cause-specific mortality in U.S. adults. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2012;95:437. Matthews CE, et al. Mortality benefits for replacing sitting time with different physical activities. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2015;47:1833. Levine JA. The chair-cursed body. In: Get Up! Why Your Chair Is Killing You and What You Can Do About It. New York, N.Y.: Palgrave Macmillan; 2014. Munir F, et al. Stand More AT Work (SMArT Work): Using the behaviour change wheel to develop an intervention to reduce sitting time in the workplace. BMC Public Health, 2018; doi:10.1186/s12889-018-5187-1. Dunstan DW, et al. Sit less and move more for cardiovascular health: emerging insights and opportunities. Nature. 2021; doi:10.1038/s41569-021-00547-y. What are the risks of sitting too much? Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005. Accessed Jan. 30, 2025. VID-20412312