Don't Just Stand at Work, Do Some Moving

Many office workers spend eight hours a day sitting at a desk, using a computer. But others have made a switch in recent years to standing desks, which allow them to spend a good part of their day standing. When they want to sit, they use tall chairs or lower their desks.

I don’t have a standing desk, but I try to mix things up. I just can’t stand sitting for too long. And standing for too long doesn’t sit well with me.

I try to follow the advice of doctors and others who have warned us about the health consequences of prolonged sitting. It can increase our risk for all sorts of health problems, including high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, and it can also make our legs fall asleep. This can be disastrous, because at most jobs around the world, any type of sleeping can get you fired. (Perhaps you’ve seen the sign at the Bed Company in the UK: “Warning: Hitting the sack might get you sacked.”)

But if sitting isn’t good for us, standing must be better, right? Not exactly. Scientists in Australia have spoiled standing for us.

A recent study from The University of Sydney has found that standing all day, instead of sitting, does not improve your cardiovascular health and can increase your risk of circulatory issues related to standing, such as varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis. (I don’t know what “deep vein thrombosis” is, but it sounds like something that my doctor would make me see another doctor for.)

The study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, is based on health data from more than 83,000 adults in the UK from a period of seven to eight years.

“The key takeaway is that standing for too long will not offset an otherwise sedentary lifestyle and could be risky for some people in terms of circulatory health,” said lead author Dr. Matthew Ahmadi of The University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health.  

Photo by TheStandingDesk on Unsplash

So if we’re not supposed to sit and we’re not supposed to stand, what are we supposed to do? Lie down?

I’m definitely willing to lie down at my job. If my boss provides me with a bed, I’m sure I’ll be healthier. I will also be more alert — once I’ve taken my afternoon nap.

If only scientists were advising us to lie down and work, I’d be quite thrilled. But quite the contrary, they want us to move around.

“Take regular breaks, walk around, go for a walking meeting, use the stairs, take regular breaks when driving long distances, or use that lunch hour to get away from the desk and do some movement,” said Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub at University of Sydney.

I like the idea of a walking meeting. At my workplace, whenever there’s a meeting, I feel like walking. But I have to sit through a boring meeting instead.

I just can’t stand it.