Fidgeting in your seat may reverse the effects of sitting for long periods

Turns out those annoying foot tappers, chair swivellers and nervous fingernail rappers are actually onto something.

A new study has found that fidgeting in your chair may help to offset the negative health risks associated with sitting for long periods of time, such as obesity and heart disease.

Researchers from the University of Leeds and the University College London analysed the health and diet information of almost 13,000 women, aged 37 to 78, using data from a large female survey study in the UK.

Participants self reported information on their average daily sitting time, fidgeting frequency, daily exercise habits, alcohol consumption, diet and smoking status. Researchers then followed up on participants 12 years later, looking for any relationships between the lifestyle variables.

Unsurprisingly, results did support a link between longer sitting time and mortality, as have previous studies, but interestingly the fidgety set was exempt from this rule.

While non-fidgeters who claimed to sit for more than seven hours a day showed a mortality risk 43 percent higher than their minimal-sitting counterparts, women with a solid fidget habit remarkably didn't record any greater risk of death — even those who sat for more than seven hours every day.

"When sitting for prolonged periods, any movement might be good," study co-author Janet Cade, Professor of the School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds, told Forbes.com. 

"So although it might not be possible to sit less during the day due to work commitments, if people fidget at their desk it could be beneficial."

The discovery suggests that the act of fidgeting may fire up the metabolism just enough to counteract the effects of a sedentary working arrangement.

"Although our study was not able to study potential mechanisms, fidgeting might have beneficial effects through a role in offsetting the negative effects of sitting," says Cade.

"We know that sitting for long periods has an adverse effect on metabolism, in particular, glucose metabolism. Also, sitting reduces energy expenditure and potentially increases energy intakes."

While fidgeting has long been considered an unwelcome trait, it's interesting to view it instead as a habit that can effectively disrupt a sedentary spell.

"Our results support the suggestion that it's best to avoid sitting still for long periods of time, and even fidgeting may offer enough of a break to make a difference."

This study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.