We sit down all the time – from surfing the web, doing homework, paying attention in class, to reading. However, few know that there are many consequences of sitting too much. Sitting six hours a day or more for a long period of time can take years off of your life and, according to Time, damage some of your organs, such as the heart, as well as increase your risks for certain kinds of cancer.

Studies have shown that sitting has effects that are as bad as smoking and lack of exercise. Adults who sit down for more than six hours a day lived an average of 4.8 years less than adults that sit less than six hours a day. The same study showed that every hour of TV that a person watched while sitting on the couch after age 25 was linked to a twenty-two  minute reduction in a person’s life expectancy. If one did not spend time watching TV sitting down, life expectancy for men and women alike would be more than a year longer.

Sitting also has other negative health effects. The New York Times states that placing yourself in a chair in a long period of time can increase your risk of heart disease by 147 percent and diabetes by 112 percent, even with proper exercise. Sitting can also decrease the number of enzymes that break down fat, leading to weight gain. ASAPScience conducted a study on women that showed that sitting six hours a day for a year led to a decrease in bone mass.

But why does sitting in a chair have so many terrible effects? The reason is because when you sit down, your muscles are not being used, so you only burn one calorie a minute. Sitting for three hours straight lessens the ability for your blood to flow properly. Sitting for six hours a day for two weeks increases the buildup of “bad cholesterol,” increasing your risk for weight gain, and things only go downhill from here.

Vani Shah, a 7th grader said, “When I found out sitting could be that harmful, I was startled. We sit in school and that can be for at least twelve years.” But there is a way to counteract the consequences of sitting too long. Taking a five minute break every hour of sitting can help prevent the results of sitting too long, or you can use a yoga ball because you’ll have to move more, or get a standing desk, if you’re willing to go that far. Hopefully you can battle the effects of sitting and add years to your life that you will cherish.