According to a report from Medpage Today, sitting down all day can be a major health hazard. The study on which this conclusion is based studied 782 adults between the ages of 36 and 80, all of whom were given activity monitors. These monitors tracked how much the participants slept, sat, stood, walked, or, and then incorporated this data into an analysis of their overall health.

Researchers used a technique called isotemporal analysis to determine the effects of sitting versus standing on the health of the participants. The study revealed that if the average participant were to spend two more hours a day walking than sitting, it could lead to a 11 percent lower average Body Mass Index as well as a 7.5 cm (2.95 in) smaller average waist size.

This is important news for the American work force, given that small adjustments to behavior at work can provide huge health benefits. “These findings provide important preliminary evidence that strategies to increase the amount of time spent standing or walking rather than sitting may benefit the heart and metabolism of many people,” said Dr Genevieve Healy, senior research fellow at the University of Queensland, Australia, who helped lead the study.

“Get up for your heart health and move for your waistline. However, it is important to say that not all sitting is bad; but if people can incorporate alternatives to sitting wherever possible, it may benefit their heart and metabolic health.”