A green sofa sits outside as two bolts of lightning strike in the background. A new study reminds us of the perils of sedentary behavior (such as prolonged sitting).
Photo by Elijah Hiett on Unsplash

This Everyday Habit is Slowly Killing You (and Exercise Won’t Save You)

Michael Hunter, MD
BeingWell
Published in
5 min readNov 6, 2024

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My legs and butt ache just thinking about it.

Sixty hours.

That’s a staggering 60 hours the average millennial spends glued to a chair each week.

Let that shocking statistic sink in for a moment.

Between soul-crushing commutes, endless Zoom meetings, and evenings lost to our screen’s mesmerizing glow, millennials have become a generation defined by sitting.

But what if this seemingly harmless habit is silently sabotaging health?

And what about those who regularly hit the gym?

A person points the clicker at a television screen that reads “NETFLIX.”
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Today, I will delve into a disturbing link between a sedentary lifestyle and a host of health problems, from heart disease to premature aging.

Prolonged Sitting and Health

Researchers recently analyzed over 1,000 former or current Colorado (U.S.) residents.

They had access to Colorado University’s Colorado Adoption/Twin Study of Lifespan Behavioral Development and Cognitive Aging (CATSLife). This comprehensive study has followed twins and…

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BeingWell
BeingWell

Published in BeingWell

A Medika Life Publication for the Medical Community

Michael Hunter, MD
Michael Hunter, MD

Written by Michael Hunter, MD

I have degrees from Harvard, Yale, and Penn. I am a radiation oncologist in the Seattle area. You may find me regularly posting at www.newcancerinfo.com