Standing up is good for you

The evils of long bouts of ‘sitting’ have been reported in journals and even the mainstream media for some time now. In a recent interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, UK health experts stated that standing up three hours a day, five days a week for a year, would be the equivalent of running ten marathons!

Long bouts of sitting are linked to a number of health issues including obesity, type II diabetes, some cancers, other metabolic disorders and a range of postural issues causing pain and dysfunction.

So what can be done?

Changing our attitudes and culture is the first step to view standing and physical activity as an opportunity rather than an inconvenience and looking for opportunities to break up our periods of sitting during the day. Devices such as the ‘sit – stand workstation’ can help facilitate this in a work environment as well as doing things differently by holding stand up meetings. Neither of these options will reduce productivity and in may ways will keep workers in better shape with sharper minds.

Getting in regular exercise sessions is another solution to the problem and a great way to ‘undo’ many of the issues created by prolonged sitting. Many people have simply lost the strength and endurance to stand unsupported for periods of time and we are constantly working with our personal training clients to help them to correct their posture and improve their fitness and strength of the muscles required to stand up.

-Kristin Lewis