Sitting is as bad for you as smoking

Sitting all day may be bad for your heart because it leads to non-communicable diseases.

An article by the Non-communicable Diseases Watch has revealed that sitting for long periods increased the risks of heart diseases, obesity, cancer and diabetes.

To avoid sitting, which has been dubbed "the new smoking", some people have started using standing desks.

Scott Gray from Quirk Marketing Agency said he had been using a standing desk for two months because he did not get much exercise.

"I'm now constantly aware of my posture, my legs have felt stronger, and I am feeling more mobile as I now stretch and move whenever I feel like it."

But standing all day might not be the answer.

Gabriel Eksteen, a dietician at the Heart and Stroke Foundation, said it was better to be more active in the workplace because "if you walk a bit more you're going to use a lot more energy".

Professor Michael Herbst, head of health at the Cancer Association of South Africa, said: "Continuously standing still causes venous congestion in the legs and may lead to varicose veins and other complications."

A survey by the South African Medical Research Council shows 61% of South Africans are overweight, obese or morbidly obese.