The Benefits of Standing at work.

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On your feet, lose your seat!

An average adult spends between 50-70% of their day sitting down.

We all know that exercising is good for us but did you know that sitting down for prolonged periods of time can have detrimental effects on our health?

A recent study led by Dr Emma Wilmot from the Diabetes Research Group at the University of Leicester has revealed that sitting for too long can put us at risk of diabetes, heart disease and even death!

The study included 794,577 participants across 18 separate studies and has been published in Diabetologia - The Journal of the European Association of the Study of Diabetes.

Dr Wilmot argues that going to the gym simply isn’t enough stating that “those whose jobs require them to sit all day may still be at risk.”

The study found that people who sat for the longest periods of time were twice as likely to have diabetes or heart disease. That was even true of those who did moderate to vigorous exercise on a daily basis.

Thomas Yates, MD a senior researcher at Leicester University who led a study linking prolonged sitting to kidney disease believes that although we are told to get regular exercise..

“that might not be enough...Another important message may be to reduce

overall sitting time”

He adds that “less sitting and more physical activity is associated with increased cardiovascular health through improvements to blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose metabolism, and arterial health.

Do more than exercise...

How can you reduce the time you spend sitting?

Something as simple as purchasing a height adjustable desk can help reduce your risk.

It might sound strange but standing at your desk is a popular office set up in Scandinavia and is spreading across America.

In the past Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway and Benjamin Franklin are all reported to have preferred to use standing desks and today it is favoured by companies such as Facebook and Google.

Over recent years the health benefits have really started to be highlighted.

Standing helps to promote the natural ‘S’ shape of our spinal column.

Our bodies are designed to stand for long periods of time and we naturally shift our weight when standing, unlike sitting where we will often stay in the same position.

Standing prevents the repetitive stress and atrophy that can be caused by sitting.

People who use a height adjustable desk report less back problems and even claim to feel increasingly focused and alert!

Why stand up?

Studies have shown that our metabolism reacts differently when we are standing to when we are sitting and Jeff Buckley from the Department of Clinical Science and Nutrition argues...

“If nothing else, standing up for three hours extra a day would burn 8Ib (3.6kg) of fat each

year”

That’s over three bags of sugar!

See the benefits!

At Posture People we have a variety of height adjustable desks including manual and electric.

www.posturepeople.co.uk

It is important to have an adjustable desk as standing all day isn’t necessarily good for you either!

Please remember to wear comfortable shoes and for the intervals that you chose to sit keep an ergonomic chair near by.

How can we help?

For more information...

• Please visit us at www.posturepeople.co.uk

• or contact us at enquiries@posturepeople.co.uk or 08453 131 503

• “It’s little changes in behaviour...such as standing at your desk, that can make quite big differences to your health”

• Jeff Buckley, Department of Clinical Science and Nutrition.