Dr. John Buckley at the University of Chester has come up with a plan that he says will effortlessly let him lose weight this year, and he thinks anyone working in an office can do the same thing. “This is the perfect way for any office-bound worker to achieve the typical New Year’s resolution of wanting to lose half a stone [8 lbs] without changing anything else – how easy is that?” he said.
Buckley’s idea is one I’ve also been using and am a huge advocate of: spend part of your working day at a standing desk. I’m actually standing as I type this sentence, so I can vouch for how easy it is to work on your feet, and how much better it can make you feel.
I have a GeekDesk, but in Buckely’s case he’s using one of the university’s old oak lecterns as a standing work station:
Applying his knowledge of human physiology, Dr Buckley calculates that by working at this desk for three hours of his day will burn an extra 144 calories per day, compared to sitting at his desk and with no change to his job or leisure time activities.
In a year this will equate to more than 30,000 calories or eight pounds of human fat.
Buckley also walks up the stairs to his seventh floor office as often as possible. “It’s little changes in behaviour such as this, or standing at your desk, that can add up to make quite a big difference to your health.”
Yeah, if you’re overweight and you work on a standing desk you’re likely to lose weight. And when you’re 60 your legs will be ruined, your back will be achy, your circulation will be blasted.
I wish this fad would pass already. Walking is good for you, standing, as we’ve known for decades, isn’t.
Lalo I’ve seen no research that says standing off and on throughout the day is bad for the average person. Quite the contrary.
Legs are adapted for walking (and running), not standing. Standing still strains the muscles in a bad (static — think RSI) way, and puts undue pressure on the blood vessels, feet, and knees. 30 years down the road, you have bad legs, swollen feet, varicose, weak knees. I’m neither a doctor or a researcher, but I’ve seen this first-hand from my paternal grandmother, and heard it from her doctor, oh 20-something years ago.
Instead of looking for research on your own, try asking a doctor. A GP or an orthopedist or an angiologist.
Rather than sitting and standing, just try to walk as much as possible. Whenever you stop typing to think about the solution to a problem, get up and have a walk around the office. It (a) doesn’t present the risks of standing, (b) is of course more effective than standing for weight loss and getting in shape, and (c) will help you think too.
Those are all effects of prolonged standing, not standing for short periods throughout the day. And, my doctors think having a standing desk is a great idea. In fact, one of my doctors said she wants to get a standing desk after I told her about mine.
And I agree, walking is also a great way to break up the day if you sit a lot!
Fair enough, if that’s how you do it. Most people I know who get a standing desk use it about half the time or more (or all), and then 3 months later they get rid of it.
I wouldn’t want to work standing 3 hours a day though, whether that’s contiguous or alternating with sitting. That was my beef with the article, and I felt it meant contiguously, although on a second read I’m no longer sure.