To Sit or To not Sit: Can We Lastly Cease Utilizing Standing Desks?

Right here on the Males’s Well being places of work, you see fairly just a few standing desks. And the explanation appears, effectively, cheap: with so many research highlighting the maladies of extended sitting, standing seems your greatest ally. However in line with a current New York Instances article, we could all be placing an excessive amount of inventory in standing up. So we sat down (sat down!) with Michael Fredericson, MD, FACSM, Director of PM&R Sports activities Drugs on the Stanford College Medical Middle, to reply the important workplace health query: whether or not ’tis nobler to face or sit at work.

A lot of the standing at work buzz started with these research that adopted hundreds of adults over a number of years and located greater-risk mortality for many who sat for no less than 12 hours a day. However then research began coming alongside to complicate these findings. They instructed that we may be seeing correlation somewhat than causation — that extended sitting could also be an indicator of different poor heath components and not a trigger itself of poor well being. And then we now have research that recommend the exact opposite: that standing may truly be worse for you! So what’s occurring?

Effectively I feel a part of it’s that persons are aligning a variety of totally different variables. First in relation to developmental again ache. One other in relation to total health. After which by way of cardiovascular threat.

When it comes to again ache, we all know that that sitting too lengthy is certainly unhealthy on your again. As you progress from standing to sitting, the stress in your disks will increase. So whenever you sit too lengthy (and notably whenever you keep in the identical place all day) your disks will are inclined to bulge out extra. It’s because you lose among the hydration within the disk whenever you stay in a hard and fast place. For backbone well being, you positively do not need to sit all day. Standing is best than sitting, however simply standing up in the identical place all day just isn’t nice on your again both.

In relation to normal well being, there are a selection of research popping out saying that sitting too lengthy results in poor total well being components. Now, a part of that may be that the individuals who sit an excessive amount of are those that do not train that a lot both. In order that’s the place the query about causation is available in. To the extent that sitting is related to different threat components — folks are inclined to have extra visceral physique fats, they are usually in poor cardiovascular well being, and many others. — sitting might not directly result in elevated mortality.

However I actually assume the larger challenge right here is simply inactivity — that is what research are discovering.

So it appears standing is simply as unhealthy. Can we lastly sit down and never really feel responsible?

I feel in the event you simply stood all day in the identical place, it’s in all probability a bit higher in your again. However by way of these different well being profiles which might be related to inactivity, it is not essentially that significantly better. It is in all probability about the identical. You should not be doing something inactive for six to eight hours a day — whether or not that is sitting at a pc or standing at a pc. Our our bodies are supposed to transfer.

Astrakan ImagesGetty Photographs

What are some methods we are able to transfer throughout working hours?

If you’re sitting, be sure to’re your shifting your positions and you are not simply staying in a single explicit place. I’d additionally set a timer in your desk and stand up each 20-Half-hour to stroll and stretch for 5 minutes. I’d additionally try to discover time throughout the center of the day to really get out and do some sort of train — even when that is only a lengthy stroll. However you could do one thing to get the blood flowing and get up your physique. And likewise getting some hydration again to your disks. It takes motion within the backbone to really get the blood circulation and offset the consequences of dehydration. Discover excuses to stand up and get one thing to drink or stroll to a distinct a part of the workplace.

Can added time within the gymnasium assist to offset every week of workplace sedentariness?

Considering that you could sit all day after which simply go to the gymnasium at evening and counteract all that sitting — that may be false. Actually, going to the gymnasium is best than not going to the gymnasium (or not doing any train), however there are some results in your physique from sitting all day which might be laborious to counteract. A few of these metabolic adjustments. You see individuals who sit an excessive amount of and begin to get slightly stomach even when they’re exercising.

“Considering that going to the gymnasium at evening will counteract all that sitting — that may be false.”

I’d suggest bracketing your workday with train. So try to do one thing earlier than you go to work. It will not be going to the gymnasium. It might simply be a taking lengthy stroll or driving your bike to work. Just a few sort of train on your physique earlier than it’s important to go right into a sitting place. After which on the finish of the day, just be sure you’re getting some sort of motion and train.

Any strikes or workouts that you simply suggest?

Each evening earlier than I am going to mattress, I do a half hour of stretching and foam rolling. Foam rolling is actually like doing your individual therapeutic massage. And in the event you can loosen the muscle up with a foam roll after which stretch it is loads higher than stretching by itself.

After work is actually when you may make features in flexibility – or whenever you’re relaxed (possibly after a sizzling bathtub). So work out all of the kinks. Be sure you get your flexibility again. As a result of there are different results of sedentariness. Sitting doesn’t simply have an effect on your again, but additionally your hamstrings, your neck, your calves, your hips. Normally folks get tight of their anterior chest, the entrance of their chest, their pecs. You need to do some stretches for that. Once we sit, we are usually extra in a flex posture. So that you need to do issues allow you to lengthen and open up the chest. That is the place one thing like yoga is superb. Or Pilates.

It actually must be a way of life. Not “okay, I am going to sit all day (despite the fact that it is actually unhealthy) after which I am going to try to make up for at one other time.” Take into consideration your life-style and how one can work round inactive intervals.

This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.