---
title: "How to avoid early death from sitting down all day"
date: 2015-06-18
description: "I’m growing increasingly nervous by the number of studies that show how sitting down all day poses health risks equivalent to smoking a pack a day. Just google sitting..."
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/2015/06/18/avoiding-death-from-sitting-on-your-butt-all-day/index.html
---

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# How to avoid early death from sitting down all day

> Sitting down all day creates serious health risks. You can avoid an early demise through a little counter app that reminds you to take a break every 20 minutes.

I’m growing increasingly nervous by the number of studies that show how sitting down all day poses health risks equivalent to smoking a pack a day. Just google [sitting all day is the equivalent to smoking](https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=sitting%20all%20day%20is%20the%20equivalent%20to%20smoking) and you’ll find plenty of articles.

I decided to download [Break Time](http://breaktimeapp.com/) from the App store.

[![Break Time](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/breaktime.png)](http://breaktimeapp.com/)

So far it works pretty well. The timer cycles down every 20 minutes and dims your computer screen, prompting you to take a break. I then get up and stretch my legs and walk around a bit. It’s simple but effective.