The benefits of standing over sitting are well documented and there are a considerable number of scientific studies that back this up. This benefits of standing list shows just how beneficial standing can be to both your physical and mental state of mind.
- Standing lowers your risk of weight gain and obesity
- Standing will help to lower blood sugar levels especially after meals
- Standing helps lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases
- Standing may lower your risk of heart disease
- Standing may lower your risk of cancer
- Standing improves mood and energy levels
- Standing more may help you live longer – it lowers long-term mortality risk
Sitting, especially at work, is a relatively recent phenomenon. In Ireland (and the rest of the developed world), there was a huge shift from being an agricultural / industrial economy to one being dominated by the service sector. This transition began in the 1970s and accelerated through the 80s and 90s, and has continued unabated since the start of this century.
The sedentary (seating) position is counter intuitive to our biological make up – we were not designed for sitting. This has had a negative impact for many people employed in the service economy – we sit for far too long and on top of that, we sit far too long for uninterrupted stretches.
With this in mind, what can we do about it?
Stand when you’ve a break.
Stand when you take a phone call.
Stand when you make a phone call.
Stand when you can.
This applies to both your work and home environment. Standing is a great habit to get into.
Next time you take a call from a friend, stand up and walk around your home. Believe me, you’ll find, it’s a totally different experience.
There has been an incredible growth in standing desks and you know it’s mainstream when Ikea are meeting this market demand. The most elaborate standing desk models on the market can be programmed to rise at specific times thus ‘forcing’ you to stand.
Anyone with the latest generation of smart watches will know that to close you daily activity rings, one of the tasks is to stand every hour.
With so many people now working from home, the commuter calorie burn and exercise has all but gone. I penned a piece a while back on the fake commute and it’s worth a read. There is now, more than ever, a need for us to stand more than we do.
Standing is a habit that’s easy to get into.
You don’t need any equipment or training gear.
Standing is the easiest training regime you can get into.
The benefits of standing – join in, it’s 100% free.
So, will you be a stander or a sitter?
