Too much sitting around can bring heart health risks, but when your job has you sitting all day, what do you do?

"Sit less, move more," is the simple advice from Deborah Rohm Young, chair of the panel that wrote a 2016 American Heart Association advisory published in the journal Circulation. The AHA recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week. "Take those smaller breaks throughout the day so youre not sitting all at once." She suggests setting a timer to remember to move around for five minutes every hour, or 10 minutes every two hours.

Here are other ways to introduce movement:

• Walk during breaks, and use longer breaks to stroll outdoors, whether down the street or laps around the building.
• A midday walk during a lunch break can help the mind to focus on the afternoons work.
• Stand during meetings.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Walk to talk with a co-worker in person rather than using the phone or electronic messaging.
• Take public transportation to work instead of driving. It likely involves walking to and from the transit stop.
• Use standing or adjustable height desks to avoid sitting while on the phone or at the computer.
• Exercise at your desk, with squats or jumping jacks.
• Even simple ankle and arm flexes or stretching occasionally while sitting at a desk gets muscles active.

(Source: AHA)