We’ve all heard that sitting too long is bad for you. We’re not evolved to do it, it can undermine our exercise gains, it causes dead butt syndrome. Sitting might not quite be “the new smoking,” but too much of it can still shorten your life.

我们都听说过久坐对身体不好。人类的进化并未考虑久坐这一需求，久坐会抵消运动带来的益处，还会导致臀肌失忆症。虽说可能算不上“堪比吸烟的危害”，但过于久坐仍可能缩短寿命。

“Sitting is actually aging you faster,” said Katy Bowman, a biomechanist and author of “My Perfect Movement Plan.” Whether it’s bone or joint health, muscle mass or energy level, she added, “a lot of what you perceive as aging is going to be heavily influenced by your sitting time.”

“久坐实际上会加速衰老，”生物力学家、《完美运动计划》作者凯蒂·鲍曼表示。无论是骨骼或关节健康、肌肉量还是能量水平，她还说，“许多你觉得是衰老的现象其实都深受久坐时间的影响。”

And we spend a lot of time sitting. Numbers vary around how much average Americans sit per day, but it may be as long as nine and a half hours. Studies suggest women sit less than men do, but most agree we all sit more than previous generations did.

我们有很多时间是坐着。美国人平均每天坐多长时间的数据各不相同，但可能长达九个半小时。研究表明女性坐着的时间比男性少，但普遍共识是我们都比前几代人坐得更多。

The consequences can be serious. A study published at the beginning of the year followed 480,000 people in Taiwan over 13 years and found those who sit most of the work day had a 34 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those with less sedentary jobs did — and a 16 percent higher risk of mortality overall.

后果可能很严重。年初一项追踪台湾48万人长达13年的研究发现，大部分工作时间都坐着的人死于心血管疾病的风险比较少久坐工作的人高34%，总体死亡风险高16%。

One way to lower the risk, the authors wrote, was to add 15 to 30 minutes of physical activity per day to your existing routine. Other studies go further, suggesting sedentary people need to double the standard weekly exercise recommendations.

作者写道，降低风险的一种方法是在现有日常活动中每天增加15到30分钟的体育活动。其他研究更进一步指出，久坐者需要将每周标准运动量加倍。

“The bottom line is that too much sitting is a big new health risk,” said Neville Owen, a senior scientist at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia.

“关键在于久坐已成为新的重大健康风险，”澳大利亚墨尔本贝克心脏与糖尿病研究所资深科学家内维尔·欧文表示。

Here’s what you need to know and how to mitigate your time in the chair.

以下是你需要了解的相关知识，以及如何减少久坐的方法。

Why is sitting so bad?

为何久坐危害大？

Put simply, uninterrupted sitting is bad for your heart, joints, muscles, metabolism and mental health.

简单来说，不间断的久坐对你的心脏、关节、肌肉、新陈代谢和心理健康都不好。

The American Heart Association notes that prolonged sitting raises the risk of developing heart disease or stroke, even for those who exercise regularly. It can take as little as 30 minutes of uninterrupted sitting to affect how blood vessels function. And the longer you sit, the higher the cardiovascular risks, especially if you are sitting for more than 10 hours.

美国心脏协会指出，长时间久坐会增加患心脏病或中风的风险，即使对于那些经常锻炼的人也是如此。仅仅30分钟的不间断久坐就可能影响血管功能。坐得越久，心血管风险越高，尤其是每日久坐超过10小时者。

Sitting for extended periods has also been linked to lower back pain. Small studies suggest the height of your lumbar disc might be compressed after sitting more than four hours without interruption.

长期久坐还与腰痛相关。多个小型研究表明，连续久坐超四小时可能导致腰椎椎间盘退变。

Furthermore, your large leg and gluteal muscles can stop activating after just 30 minutes of sitting, Dr. Owen said. Over time, they can weaken and cause back or knee pain.

欧文指出，此外，仅坐30分钟就会使腿部及臀大肌停止激活。久而久之，这些肌肉会变弱，引发背部或膝盖疼痛。

Sitting also doesn’t burn much energy. Over time, a sedentary lifestyle can affect your ability to regulate blood sugar and break down fat, potentially leading to weight gain and Type 2 diabetes. American workers today burn about 100 fewer calories per day than they did 50 years ago. That’s roughly equal to 30 minutes of walking, said Thom Rieck, an exercise specialist at the Mayo Healthy Living Program in Rochester, Minn.

此外，久坐几乎不消耗能量。随着时间的推移，久坐不动的生活方式会影响身体调节血糖和分解脂肪的能力，可能导致体重增加和2型糖尿病。明尼苏达州罗切斯特梅奥健康生活项目运动专家汤姆·里克说，如今的美国劳动者每天的热量消耗比50年前少约100卡路里。这大约相当于步行30分钟消耗的热量。

Lastly, sitting affects mood and cognition, increasing the odds of depression and anxiety.

久坐还会影响情绪和认知，增加抑郁和焦虑的几率。

How to get off your butt.

如何摆脱久坐。

If you sit for work, you have to be more active.

若工作需久坐，就必须增加活动量。

The fact is that if you sit a lot, the recommended 150 weekly minutes of moderate aerobic activity and strength training may not cut it, said Geoffrey Whitfield, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The more you sit, the more exercise you need. Some evidence suggests tripling that amount, to about 60 minutes per day, Dr. Whitfield added.

美国疾控中心的流行病学家杰弗里·惠特菲尔德指出：对于久坐者，每周150分钟中等强度的有氧运动和力量训练可能还不够。坐得越多，所需运动量越大。有证据表明需将运动量增至三倍，即每天约60分钟。

Set a timer at work.

在工作时设置计时器。

If you can’t add that much movement to your day, try adding small bouts, spread throughout the day. Brian Cleven, a clinical exercise physiologist in Marinette, Wis., recommends working some exercises into your day at your desk. Try 10 to 15 repetitions of pointing and flexing each foot, seated calf raises and marching in place. Or try a quick exercise snack.

若无法每天大量增加运动，可尝试全天分散进行微量活动。威斯康星州临床运动生理学家布莱恩·克莱文建议在办公桌旁做一些运动：每只脚趾屈伸10-15次、坐姿提踵、原地踏步。或者见缝插针，尝试碎片化运动方式，就像吃零食一样。

He suggests doing something every hour or perhaps exercising the lower body one hour and the upper body the next. Even better, he said, try to elevate your heart rate by taking a two- to five-minute walk every hour or walking up and down a set of stairs.

他建议每小时活动一次，或交替训练上下肢。更理想的是每小时步行2-5分钟或爬楼梯，以此提高心率。

Standing desks aren’t a cure-all.

升降桌并非万能药。

Working at a standing desk expends more energy than sitting but can cause pain as well. The key is regular movement whether seated or standing, said Bethany Barone Gibbs, an epidemiologist based in Pittsburgh with the American Heart Association.

站姿办公比坐姿耗能更多，但同样可能引发疼痛。美国心脏协会流行病学家贝瑟尼·巴罗尼·吉布斯强调，无论是坐是站，关键是要保持有规律的运动。

If nothing else, try fidgeting.

实在不行，就保持活动。

If you can’t get up — say, during a long car drive — at the very least you should change your body position, ideally every 15 to 30 minutes, Dr. Barone Gibbs said. You can do this with small, subtle movements, like fidgeting by tapping or jiggling your feet every few minutes.

巴罗内·吉布斯说，若无法起身（如长途驾驶），至少应每15-30分钟变换身体姿势。可通过做小动作来做到这一点，如每隔几分钟就脚尖点地或抖脚。

Try adjusting your leg, pelvis and spine positions, Ms. Bowman said. “Read your email with your arms stretching overhead or while twisting your shoulders to the right and left,” she suggested. Or alternate between doing 30 minutes of work standing and 30 minutes seated.

鲍曼建议，尝试调整腿、骨盆和脊柱的位置。“阅读邮件时可以把手臂伸过头顶，或者左右扭动肩膀，”她建议。或者30分钟的站立工作和30分钟的坐姿工作交替进行。

But you can’t fidget your way to good health. To avoid the adverse effects of a sitting-heavy lifestyle, add more movement breaks and more exercise to your daily routine, Dr. Whitfield said.

但你不可能通过简单的动动身体来获得健康。惠特菲尔德强调，为了避免久坐生活方式的不利影响，要在日常生活中增加更多的运动休息和锻炼时间。