Apple has consistently championed the advantages of standing regularly throughout the workday.
The company promotes standing at least once every hour through Apple Watch notifications and has integrated sit-stand desks as a standard feature at its Apple Park headquarters. CEO Tim Cook even referenced the contentious phrase “sitting is the new cancer”…
This phrase received substantial criticism for allegedly exaggerating the dangers of sitting and overstating the benefits of standing, with extensive debate surrounding the scientific backing for both claims.
Research has indicated that the primary issue isn’t whether we are sitting or standing, but rather how much time we spend in a still position.
However, as Wired points out, a significant new study suggests that allocating a portion of your work hours to standing does indeed offer health benefits.
The research involved tracking health data from just over 83,000 participants in the UK over an average duration of about seven years. Throughout the study, participants wore wrist-based accelerometers for at least four days. These devices were designed to monitor periods of sitting, standing, walking, or running during their waking hours. The researchers then correlated this activity data with health outcomes noted in their medical records.
The findings indicated that prolonged periods of being stationary significantly heighten the risk of orthostatic circulatory disease, regardless of whether individuals are sitting or standing. Nevertheless, the analysis revealed that standing reduces this risk, while sitting increases the likelihood of cardiovascular disease—standing, however, does not.
The study demonstrated that when total stationary time (including both sitting and standing) exceeded 12 hours daily, the risk of orthostatic circulatory disease escalated by 22 percent for every additional hour, while the risk of cardiovascular disease surged by 13 percent for each hour. For those who only sit, the risks amplified every hour beyond ten hours: for orthostatic circulatory disease, there was a 26 percent increase for each hour after, while cardiovascular disease risk rose 15 percent. In contrast, for standing, risk factors for orthostatic circulatory disease began to rise after just two hours, increasing by 11 percent for every 30 minutes thereafter, but standing showed no effect on cardiovascular disease risk at any measured time.
To summarize, the best approach is to stay active; if you’re confined to your desk for extended periods, incorporating some standing time is a safer option.
Reduced disease risks are not the sole advantages of adopting a sit-stand desk; I also encountered three unexpected benefits when I made the switch, and I would never want to revert to my previous setup.
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