Why not even exercise will undo the harm of sitting all day—and what you can do about it

A large review recently published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute confirms what we’ve been hearing for years: Sitting can be fatal.

The really bad news: You can’t exercise away the habit’s harmful effects.“Adjustment for physical activity did not affect the positive association between sedentary behavior and cancer,” the authors writeEven participants who achieved the daily recommended levels of physical activity were at the same risk as those who spent their day sitting.

Exercise Protects You From Stress

Just in case you needed another reason to be physically active, regular activity may protect your cells from the damage caused by daily stresses of modern life.
Just in case you needed another reason to be physically active, regular activity may protect your cells from the damage caused by daily stresses of modern life.

There are few of us who can honestly say they are not stressed out at least some of the time. Too much to do, not enough time, looming deadlines, financial concerns, health problems, etc. can all cause us to feel on edge.