Over 10 hours a day in a chair

People in Germany now sit for an average of 613 minutes on a workday. That's more than 10 hours, 15 minutes more than in 2023 and almost two hours more than ten years ago (DKV-Report 2025). Desk, car, couch: it adds up fast.

"Sitting is the new smoking" is a catchy slogan, and it exaggerates a little. But people who sit a lot usually move very little, and that has consequences. One of them is often overlooked: bones that are rarely challenged get weaker over time. This can contribute to osteoporosis, a disease that makes bones break more easily.

In 2020, the World Health Organization added advice on sitting to its guidelines for the first time: sit less, and replace sitting time with movement. Any movement counts.

We spoke with physiotherapist Caroline Kaeding about what too little movement does to your bones and your balance, and what you can do about it.

What too little movement does to your bones

Bones are living tissue. They are constantly broken down and rebuilt, and they adapt to the forces you put on them. If they are rarely challenged, the body slowly removes bone it doesn't seem to need.

Over time, this can contribute to osteoporosis. "Osteoporosis is a bone disease in which bone substance decreases," explains Caroline Kaeding. "The danger is that if you fall, something breaks, and that makes everyday life more difficult." Worldwide, about one in three women and one in five men over 50 are affected (International Osteoporosis Foundation via BGNES).

So what keeps bones strong? "The most important things for a bone to stay strong are nutrients, and in a second step, load," says Kaeding. In plain terms: calcium, vitamin D and protein from your diet, plus regular movement that puts your bones to work.

That's why resting completely is the wrong approach, even when bones are already weak. "Taking it completely easy and doing nothing at all is actually wrong," Kaeding says. "You still have your everyday life, and you're still at risk of falling."

How quickly does bone disappear without load? A bed-rest study funded by NASA gives a clue. After 17 weeks in bed, healthy men had lost 3.6 to 4.6% of the bone at the hip, 3.9% in the lower spine and over 10% in the heel, and most of it came back only slowly (LeBlanc et al. 1990). Sitting isn't bed rest, but the principle is the same: bones need load.

6 easy ways to sit less and move more

1. Stand up every 30 minutes. Get a glass of water, stretch, or walk a few steps.
2. Take phone calls standing or walking. It's an easy win on busy workdays.
3. Take the stairs. Every step puts healthy load on your bones.
4. Brush your teeth on one leg. Switch legs halfway through for a mini balance workout twice a day.
5. Aim for 60 minutes of movement a day. Walk or cycle to work, or go for a walk at lunch.
6. Train your balance for 10 minutes a day. A balance board like the GIBBON SlackBoard brings slackline training into your living room, and the GIBBON Balance App gives you exercises to follow.

Why balance training belongs in your routine

"Tripping still happens sometimes," Kaeding says. "But when you trip, the reaction has to come, fast enough and the right one, so you avoid a fracture or other injuries." Her advice: keep these systems up to date and train them regularly, ideally every day.

The research backs her up. A Cochrane review of 39 studies with around 7,900 older adults found that balance and functional exercises reduce the rate of falls by 24% (Sherrington et al. 2019). Fewer falls mean fewer broken bones.

"That's why I really recommend balance training," says Kaeding. "First, because it helps prevent falls. And second, because the load during training helps you keep your bone substance for longer."

For healthy bones, experts recommend a mix of strength training, weight-bearing activity like walking or climbing stairs, and balance training. The WHO advises people over 65 to do this kind of combined training on at least three days a week (WHO 2020 guidelines). Balance training is an important part of that mix, and it shouldn't be skipped.

Balance: use it or lose it

Strong bones are only half the story. The other half is not falling in the first place, and that depends on your balance.

"If you don't train your balance and reactions as you get older, your body actually breaks them down," says Kaeding. When you trip, receptors in your body have to sound the alarm within a split second, so you can catch yourself and protect your head. "If these systems aren't challenged enough, they don't react as well anymore. It's like any machine that needs maintenance."

Hours of sitting give these systems almost nothing to do. Your feet barely feel the ground, and your muscles never have to make the small corrections that standing and walking demand. Your reactions slowly get slower, and you often don't notice until the moment you trip.

You don't need to change your whole life. Every break from sitting counts, and a few minutes of balance training a day keep your body ready for the moment you trip.

Note: If you have osteoporosis or another health condition, talk to your doctor or physiotherapist before starting a new training program.