What is Sedentary Behavior?

Sedentary behavior has become a hot topic in modern health research. While definitions can vary a bit across studies, the core idea is simple: it describes activities where you sit or stay still for long periods while burning very little energy.

Simply put, sedentary behavior is spending most of your time sitting or lying down, barely moving your body.

Measuring Sedentary Behavior with METs

Sedentary behavior is usually defined by energy expenditure, using Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) as the benchmark. A 70 kg (154 lb) adult sitting quietly burns about 1.0 MET, roughly 70 calories per hour. Any activity at ≤1.5 METs (around 105 calories or less per hour) involves almost no muscle movement and very low energy use. Over time, this lack of activity increases the risk of insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, deep vein thrombosis, and other health issues. What is MET?

According to leading health organizations—including the World Health Organization (WHO), Canadian Science Publishing, the University of Queensland, and The Lancet—sedentary behavior is defined as any waking activity done while sitting, reclining, or lying down that uses ≤1.5 METs of energy. This includes common daily habits such as watching TV, office work, reading, studying, or commuting.

Some studies broaden the definition slightly, allowing up to <2.0 METs or a range of 1.0–1.8 METs to capture minor posture adjustments, but these are not considered the standard definition.

How Can You Tell if You’re Sitting Too Much?

• Time guideline: Sitting for 30 minutes or more without getting up is generally considered sedentary behavior. Spending 8 hours or more sitting in a day is linked to greater health risks.
• Body signals: If you start noticing back pain, swollen legs, dizziness, or fatigue, these may be signs your body is reacting to too much sitting.

Everyday Sitting Habits and Their Risks

• Sitting at Work or School When your job or studies keep you in a chair for hours.
  • Desk time: Computer work, classes, homework.
  • Jobs that require sitting: Office staff, coders, writers, drivers.
• Sitting for Fun How we spend downtime in a seated, low-movement way.
  • Screens: TV, gaming, scrolling on your phone.
  • Other seated hobbies: Reading, board or card games.
• Daily Life & Travel The sitting we can’t always avoid in daily routines.
  • Everyday moments: Eating, long meetings.
  • On the move: Long drives, buses, trains, or flights.

The longer you sit, the greater the physiological impact on your body.

How to Reduce the Harm from Sitting Too Long

• Here are some practical ways to minimize prolonged sitting:
  • Stand up and move regularly: Use Relaxo to set reminders—get up and stretch or walk around for a few minutes every 30–60 minutes.
  • Use work breaks wisely: Stand while taking calls or chatting with colleagues, and consider a standing desk if possible.
  • Switch up leisure activities: Cut down on TV or phone time, and opt for walking, doing chores, or other light activities instead.
  • Increase daily movement: Take the stairs instead of the elevator, and walk or bike for short trips whenever possible.

Sitting too long can harm your health—but simple changes make a difference. Stand up often, move during work or breaks, and swap some screen time for light activity.

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References

Bull, F. C., Al-Ansari, S. S., Biddle, S., Borodulin, K., Buman, M. P., Cardon, G., Carty, C., Chaput, J. P., Chastin, S., Chou, R., Dempsey, P. C., DiPietro, L., Ekelund, U., Firth, J., Haskell, W. L., Haug, E., Lambert, E. V., Leitzmann, M., Loyen, A., … Willumsen, J. F. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour - World Health Organization

GBD 2019 Risk Factors Collaborators. (2020). Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet, 396(10258), 1223–1249. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30752-2.

Hamilton, M. T., Hamilton, D. G., & Zderic, T. W. (2007). Role of low energy expenditure and sitting in obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes, 56(11), 2655–2667. doi: 10.2337/db07-0882.

Patterson, R., McNamara, E., Tainio, M., de Sá, T. H., Smith, A. D., Sharp, S. J., Edwards, P., Woodcock, J., Brage, S., & Wijndaele, K. (2018). Sedentary behaviour and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality, and incident type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose response meta-analysis. European Journal of Epidemiology, 33(9), 811–829. doi: 10.1007/s10654-018-0380-1.

Magnon, V., Plancher, G., Vallet, G. T., & Auxiette, C. (2018). Sedentary Behavior at Work and Cognitive Functioning: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Public Health, 6, 239. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00239.