A recent article by the Washington Post reports the number of hours that health experts recommend standing each day. We’ve been inundated with new claims and research that sitting is bad for you and can increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer and premature death. But there has been a notable shortage of research specifying any particular amount of time that we should stand to combat this. Until now. Active Working, an international group, teamed up with Public Health England to convene a panel of experts to give some research-based guidance.
Research-Based Recommendations on How Often You Should Be Standing
The average office worker sits an average of 10 hours per day. An increasing number of workers are aware of the ill effects of prolonged sitting and no doubt are debating whether or not to buy a standing or adjustable-height desk. The experts from the international panel say you should stand for at least two hours a day. And work your way toward four hours per day. Gavin Bradley, director of Active Working, states: “Our first order of business is to get people to spend two hours of their work day NOT sitting. However you do it, the point is to just get off your rear end.”
Combatting a Sedentary Sitting Culture
The World Health Organization estimates that 95 percent of the world’s adult population is inactive. Failing to meet the minimum recommendation of 30 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity five times per week. But even working out before or after work isn’t enough to combat the negative effects of sitting. Bradley says:
“It’s all about mixing it up. Metabolism slows down 90 percent after 30 minutes of sitting. The enzymes that move the bad fat from your arteries to your muscles, where it can get burned off, slow down. The muscles in your lower body are turned off. And after two hours, good cholesterol drops 20 percent. Just getting up for five minutes is going to get things going again. These things are so simple they’re almost stupid.”
While the recommendations of the panel may seem very reasonable and doable, excessive sitting has become highly ingrained in our day-to-day lives. From working long hours in front of a computer, to the hours in front of a T.V. or computer when we get off work, people are sitting more than ever before. Even our commutes are dominated by cars and buses, rather than bicycles and walking. The new guidelines are only meant as a starting point and will likely evolve as more research is gathered. The goal of the endeavor was simply to give people a research-based target to shoot for.
Reach Your Goals Easily with an Adjustable-Height Desk
Reaching your two to four hours per day can be relatively effortless with the simple addition of an adjustable-height desk like Xdesk. Members of the panel are advocates of sit/stand desks and an adjustable-height desk allows you the flexibility of changing your posture throughout the day—working your way up to the recommended four hours at your own pace.
Find the original article here.
