People whose jobs require them to sit at a desk all day may be at greater risk of heart disease, say researchers at St. Louis University Medical Center.

Additionally, a sedentary lifestyle can be bad for the shoulders, hips and spine.

"It's important to get up and move around throughout the day," occupational therapist Julia Henderson-Kalb said in a Saint Louis University Medical Center news release. "Exercise not only helps with how you feel physically, but it also improves your mind and your memory."

Henderson-Kalb recommended that people make small changes to their daily work routines:

• Sitting on an exercise ball instead of a chair will strengthen your abdominal and back muscles and improve posture.
• If possible, walk around while you talk on the phone.
• Use a timer or alarm to remind you to stand and stretch hourly
• Choose the stairs whenever possible, and use the restrooms on another floor.
• Avoid the parking spots closest to the building.
• Wear a pedometer to help you take between 6,000 and 10,000 steps per day.
• Keep light weights or exercise bands at your desk to help squeeze in an exercise break.
• Use part of your lunchtime for a quick walk or workout.