According to an article published on yahoo.com this week, experts are finding that sitting for prolonged periods of time can be harmful to our health – regardless of how healthy you eat or the amount you exercise.

Research from the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that regardless of where we sit, if we’re sitting there for hours, we’re more likely to be overweight, have a heart attack, or simply die.

Part of the reason is that after 4 hours of sitting, our genes that regulate the amount of glucose (sugar) and fat in the body start to shut down, leading to an increased chance of becoming overweight.

The yahoo article referenced a Canadian study done last year that found that people who sat more had a higher death risk, regardless of the amount of exercise they did during the rest of the day.

So what can you do? Stand up! Take stretch or walk breaks between your sits. Go visit the water cooler. Tell your colleague what you need to share with her in person, rather than via email. Take a 5-minute breather outside. And consider yourself that much less likely to die.