If you don’t believe it by now, you should—doing a bit of standing and moving around every day is good for you.
We also know that sitting can be one of the worst things you can do. Sitting all day can raise your risk for almost everything, from type 2 diabetes, to heart disease, to obesity.
Basically, a little standing can do a lot of good.
But how much do you have to do for it to be beneficial to you?
A new study studied this, and the answer isn’t as bad as you think: it only takes two hours standing to have an impact.
The study was done on 782 people, whose activity was tracked all day, every day for seven days. ##MN_RESP##
What they found was pretty interesting. Standing for two extra hours a day led to lower levels of fat in the blood and lower blood sugar in both genders.
It was also linked to lower BMI and smaller waist circumference. That's right, even just standing can help you lose weight.
Of course, because the study is over such a short amount of time, it’s hard to say how effective it really is.
But this study comes in light of recent findings that suggest standing may cause long-term, damaging muscle strain.
So what do you take away from this?
Sure, standing for seven or eight hours at a time could do a number on your muscles. But standing or moving around for a few extra hours can really only do good for your health, circulation, and weight.
Try standing more often during work every day. Despite the controversy, trying out a standing desk may be a great idea. Do some of your work standing, or walk around every hour or so. It does more than you think.
