[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2016\/04\/tv-and-heart-disease\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2016\/04\/tv-and-heart-disease\/","headline":"Does Watching TV Raise Your Risk of Heart Disease?","name":"Does Watching TV Raise Your Risk of Heart Disease?","description":"If you spend a lot of time in front of the television, you might be raising your risk for heart disease. Learn what you can do to get active for your heart. ","datePublished":"2016-04-27","dateModified":"2019-04-18","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/heart-vascular","name":"Heart and Vascular Institute","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/heart-vascular","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/heart-and-vascular-institute\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/man-watching-tv.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/man-watching-tv.jpg","height":799,"width":1234},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2016\/04\/tv-and-heart-disease\/","about":["Heart and Vascular Health"],"wordCount":570,"keywords":["diabetes","heart disease"],"articleBody":"Many bad habits can raise your risk for heart disease, such as smoking, a poor diet, and not getting much physical activity. But does watching television also raise your risk? It\u2019s not your favorite shows, but rather the time you spend sitting, that can make it more likely for you to get\u00a0heart disease.Find out how a sedentary lifestyle adversely affects your heart and what you can do to get more active.What Is a Sedentary Lifestyle?You\u2019ve heard the term \u201ccouch potato,\u201d right? A person with a sedentary lifestyle gets little to no physical activity on a regular basis. Sedentary activities include anything you do while sitting down, like driving to and from work every day, watching television, working on a computer, playing video games, or reading.When you sit for long periods of time, your body doesn\u2019t work as well as it can. You don\u2019t\u00a0burn as many calories\u00a0as you would while standing or doing another activity, which can make it harder to stay at a healthy weight. Your\u00a0heart rate\u00a0also slows down, which means your blood doesn\u2019t pump as effectively as it should.While the exact link between sitting and health problems isn\u2019t fully understood yet, research shows that the more you sit, the more likely you are to develop heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.How Does Physical Activity Help Your Heart?Regular physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and can lower your risk of many diseases, including heart disease. Physical activity can benefit your heart by helping you:Control your weight and blood pressure, which lowers your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.Raise your \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol, which takes some of the \u201cbad\u201d cholesterol out of your blood.Keep your blood sugar level in a healthy range, which lowers your risk of diabetes.Make your heart and lungs stronger and more able to pump oxygen into your blood.Fight depression, which can be linked to heart diseaseGetting More Active for Your HeartYou don\u2019t have to say goodbye to your favorite shows, but you do need to be mindful of how much time you spend watching TV and doing other sedentary activities instead of being physically active.If you\u2019re not sure where to start, make a list of physical activities you\u2019d like to try like\u00a0walking, biking, dancing, or playing a sport\u00a0\u2014 and then talk to your doctor about what is safe for you. You can also try these simple tips for adding more activity to your daily routine:Watch your favorite 30-minute show while walking or\u00a0jogging on a treadmill.Break up your activity into smaller portions of time. If you don\u2019t have 30 minutes for a walk, take three 10-minute walks instead.At work, make sure you stand up for a few minutes each hour.Walk to a co-worker\u2019s desk instead of sending an email.Stand up while talking on the phone.Pick a parking spot at the back of the lot at work or when shopping or running errands.Take a few extra laps around the shopping mall.Choose the stairs instead of the elevator.Skip dessert and go for a walk after dinner.To learn more, visit the\u00a0UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute\u00a0or call\u00a01-855-UPMC-HVI (876-2484)\u00a0or visit our Pittsburgh-area heart health screenings to gain insight into your health. "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2016","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2016\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"04","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2016\/\/04\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Does Watching TV Raise Your Risk of Heart Disease?","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2016\/04\/tv-and-heart-disease\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]