Have you heard that sitting is the new smoking? Well turns out, too much standing has it’s risks too. How much should we be sitting, standing and moving in general?
Too much sitting has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, dementia and premature death according to several studies. We often think of cardiovascular disease as a result from being too sedentary, but findings from 47 studies showed glaring results from sedentary behavior that go way beyond cardiovascular health.
Standing desk are becoming more and more popular but according to an ergonomics study at Cornell University, standing all day can causes varicose veins, problems for back and feet to name a few.
Here’s some interesting data that came out of the study.
Four hours of standing throughout the day represents as many as 240 additional calories burned. Sitting more than an hour causes calories to be sent to fat stores rather than to muscle. By the way, if you exercise regularly for an hour but spend the rest of your time sitting, you are not off the hook. The solution lies in breaking up activity throughout the day in addition to your regular exercise.
The recommendation is a combination of two to four hours of standing and light activity spread throughout the workday. And research from NASA has found that standing up for two minutes 16 times a day while at work is an effective strategy for maintaining bone and muscle density. Now you have a good reason to download an app to your phone or desktop to remind you to move throughout the day.
Investing in a standing desk is a good idea but can cost anywhere from 500.00 on up. There is a frugal solution if you use a lap top that cost less than $50.00 Invest in an adjustable table. You can place this next to your sitting desk and adjust it to elbow height. This gives you an option to stand every so often as well as move around and stretch throughout the day.
If you are a regular exerciser, keep up the good work, just keep moving when you’re not exercising. If you aren’t a regular exerciser, reach out to me and I’ll help you with that! Meanwhile, find ways to move throughout the day and try not to sit for more than an hour at a time!
To your health and mobility!