(WXYZ) — For many of us, sitting is just part of the day, when you're at work, in the car, in meetings or on the couch. But new research suggests the health risk may not be sitting alone, it may be how long we sit without getting up, and even people who work out on the regular may need to think about how they spend the rest of the day.
Watch Keenan Smith's report below
On the golf course, Willie Mayberry is moving with purpose. It's something he tries to build into his entire day.
"Even when I'm at the office, I have a desk that stands up, so I stand up as much as I can," Mayberry said.
Mayberry said he's always been active, but knows how easy it is for a sedentary routine to set in. That lack of movement is at the center of new research published in Plos Medicine.
The study's lead author, Dr. Frederick Ho, says the findings are clear.
"What we found was that prolonged sitting or prolonged sedentary time is particularly harmful," said Dr. Ho, a senior lecturer in public health at the University of Glasgow.
Researchers looked at more than 91,000 people in the U.K. Biobank who wore activity monitors for seven days, then followed their health for more than 12 years. The study finds each additional hour of prolonged, uninterrupted sedentary behavior was associated with a 9 percent higher risk of cancer death, with the strong association being Leukemia.
"Almost 20 percent of high risk for at least one hour of sedentary time. And follow that would be oral cancer," Dr. Ho said.
Kidney, liver and colorectal cancers are all associated with sedentary time. But the key is not just how much time you spend sitting; it's how that sitting adds up.
In this study, prolonged sedentary time means at least 30 minutes of mostly sitting, reclining or lying down while awake. That is different from interrupted sedentary time, broken up by standing, walking or light movement. And the message isn't only for those of us who don't work out; it also applies to so-called active couch potatoes.
Dr. Angela Fong, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology and a core member of the Rogel Cancer Center, says even for workout warriors, long stretches of sedentary time add up.
"These are individuals who let's say are quite active, perhaps meeting physical activity guidelines. But then they spend a lot of time in seated positions," Dr. Fong said. "These individuals have cardiometabolic profiles that aren't as healthy as one would think."
In other words, a workout doesn't automatically erase hours of uninterrupted sitting or lying around. Fong says the goal is not only to sit less; it's to break up the sitting you do. The study finds replacing one hour a day of prolonged sedentary behavior with light physical activity was associated with a 12 percent lower risk of cancer death.
"You don't have to be these individuals that are running marathons on the weekends and then going to CrossFit and flipping over a tire," Dr. Fong said.
A movement break can be simple: standing during a phone call, walking to refill your water, or stretching a TV break. Target at least 10 percent of the time you've been sitting. In a 30-minute meeting? Move for three minutes. And Dr. Ho had a suggestion for longer meanings.
"Schedule 10 or 15 minutes of break before or after the meeting to maybe just to go to grab lunch in the takeout shop nearby, that could still count," Dr. Ho said.
Back on the golf course, Rob Murri skips the carts and makes walking a part of the game; it's a small rebellion against the rest of the day.
"Trying to stand up and move is more important to me than sitting in the cart. And it's better for the game," Murri said.
