Stand, Stretch and Move!

A Vanderbilt University study estimated that Americans spend about 55 percent of waking time sitting. That’s about seven and a half hours in a chair every day. A growing body of research shows that long periods of physical inactivity raise your risk of developing heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and obesity. The muscle activity needed for standing, stretching and other movements seems to trigger important processes related to the breakdown of fats and sugars within the body. When you sit, these processes are put on hold. When you’re standing or actively moving, the processes speed up.

Standing a little more each day will tone your muscles, improve posture, increase blood flow and burn calories. Check out these practical, doable and even fun ways to stand more and move more throughout your workday:

• As a first step, set your PDA to beep you into action once every 60 to 90 minutes.

• Stand up and shadowbox for a full minute. Or rip off a minute’s worth of jumping jacks. Or run in place like you’re at NFL training camp.

• If there’s enough floor space in your office or cubicle, jump rope for a minute or two. If space is limited or you’ve forgotten your jump rope, simply pretend you’re jumping rope.

• Do walking lunges in a vacant conference room or empty hallway. Make it fun and channel John Cleese and the Monty Python troupe doing “Silly Walks.”

• Practice a tai chi mindfulness movement, like the “walking on a frozen lake” exercise. (YouTube is a convenient instructor.)

• Take to the stairs — two at a time if you need a harder workout! Use the washroom on a higher floor; refill your coffee cup on a lower floor.

• While your computer is checking for software updates, do one-legged squats (hold onto a wall or table for support).

• Desk pushups can be a good strengthener. Stand and put your hands on the desk. Walk backward two or three steps, and then do push-ups against the desk.

•  If you work at a desk all day long, try a standing desk — or improvise with a high table. (There’s more on this important subject on page 2.)

One last thing: Don’t let fear of embarrassment keep you from standing up and exercising at work. Chances are, your co-workers will admire your efforts. You might even get them to join you!

Standing While Working

More and more people are waking up — and standing up — to the fact that sitting all day at their desks is detrimental to their health. Some are standing more to ramp up their metabolism. (Standing can burn 40 percent more calories than sitting.) Others find that standing helps keep them more alert and clear-headed on the job. Some, like Jonathan Radigan at the Vermont Department of Health, have found that standing more significantly eases back pain. Radigan switched to an L-shaped workstation with a split standing/sitting desk about a year ago. “I stand at the computer and I sit to make phone calls or chat with co-workers. It’s about a 70/30 split. Ergonomics experts within the department stressed that it’s important to mix it up.”

If you have the option to stand while working and are thinking about a standing desk, consider these tips:

• Work Up to Standing Slowly: If you are used to sitting at a desk all day, ease into standing. You can stack boxes on your desk to raise your computer monitor and keyboard. If you work at home, try working with your laptop on the kitchen counter. Work up to longer periods of standing over time. If you find that a standing desk works for you, then you can start researching standing desks.

• Wear Sensible, Supportive Shoes: If you’re planning on standing for the better part of the workday, choose function over fashion in footwear. Some workers have found that working in their stocking feet is best.

• Stand on a Mat: Concrete floors and hardwoods are unforgiving. An anti-fatigue mat makes standing easier on your back and hips. You’ll find the best mats at chef supply sites.

Famous People Who Stood While They Worked

Despite having invented the swivel office chair, Thomas Jefferson often stood while writing. The third president of the United States is perhaps the most famous user of the stand-up desk. His six-legged “tall desk” had an adjustable slanted top.

Other famous fans of the stand-up desk include Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Dickens, Vladimir Nabokov, Winston Churchill and Ernest Hemingway.