Sitting for a long time is not only bad for us, it's killing us. The danger to the human organism caused by sitting is increasingly being likened to smoking. An expert study which confirms this was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The study, entitled The sedentary office, was carried out by some of the world's leading experts commissioned by Public Health England, an agency of British Department of Health, and Active Working CIC, an initiative which aims to motivate British employees to stand when working.
The results of the study indicate that employees should stand while doing their work at least two hours a day. Sitting should also be interspersed with periods of working at desks specially designed for standing, and regular walks around the office. It is best to stand for four hours throughout the working day, but not in a row. Standing for too long can be as dangerous as sitting.
Standing desks are not new
Sitting and standing at work should be alternated regularly. Office workers can find adjustable standing desks and stations, which are now widely sold, very useful. If you think that standing desks are a recent invention, you're wrong. As The Telegraph reported, these desks were used by Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin and Winston Churchill.
When employees stand, they should not remain in a static position. They should alternate more standing positions and take a walk from time to time. In a nutshell, it's the easiest way to prevent muscle and joint pain, and also more serious diseases which cause early death due to long periods of sitting.
Do you have any personal experience with standing while doing office work?
-kk-