America
Sitting or standing too long is hazardous for health
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By Nishant AroraNew Delhi, June 6
The memo is out: when at
work, stand for a minimum two hours if you want a healthier, longer
life. If you can increase the standing time to four hours, it will do
wonders with your otherwise sedentary desk life, claim fresh British
health guidelines.
Workers must be on their feet for a minimum of
two hours daily during office hours to avoid health risks, the
guidelines issued by Public Health England and a non-profit organisation
Active Working CIC and published in the British Journal of Sports
Medicine revealed.
But why just the office?
What about
someone who travels in a Metro train or a bus and stands for hours on
way and back from office? Will he or she reap the same health benefit as
standing in office?
"Standing has scientifically proven to burn
more calories than sitting, be in office or in the Metro train. In a
standing position, all the limbs are active and hence more calories are
burnt in a standing position than just sitting," R.K. Singal, director
(internal medicine) at New Delhi's BLK Super Specialty Hospital, told
IANS.
The extra edge for standing while in office is that you can
also go for a light walk to the cafeteria or the meeting room and burn
even more calories which is not possible in the Metro or in a bus.
So, what does standing do to us in terms of burning calories.
Standing
quietly, a 68-kg person will burn about 114 calories per hour - or 912
calories in eight hours, says a report by the American Council on
Exercise (ACE).
The same person will burn 147 calories per hour -
or 1,176 calories in eight hours - standing while performing desk work -
33 more calories per hour than standing quietly, reveal the findings
from ACE, a nonprofit fitness certification, education and training
provider in the US.
"I will suggest to build standing capacity
gradually over time, starting with one hour daily to two hours and
eventually four hours a day to reap health benefits," Singal said.
But first, learn the right posture for standing.
"While
standing, keep your shoulders and back relaxed, Hold your head
straight, Try to keep your chest out and abdominal squeezed in. Stand
tall and straight," Singal advised.
Lately, treadmills and standing desks have become a fad among companies across the world.
According
to exercise science professor James LeCheminant and neuroscientist
Michael Larson from Utah-based Brigham Young University, workers on
treadmill desks perform cognitive tasks nearly as well as those at
sitting desks despite the fact that they are walking in between.
Ritika
Samaddar, head (dietetics and nutrition) at Max Super Speciality
Hospital in New Delhi, said that it is always advisable to be on your
feet as it helps to burn more calories as compared to sitting.
"Small
changes in your activity pattern helps burn more calories, like walk
while you talk on smartphone and move your hands during the
conversation," Samaddar told IANS.
Incorporate small changes like
getting up from your seat every half-an-hour and standing on your feet
will make you more healthy and also help lose weight provided you also
eat healthy, she suggested.
Here is a cautionary note too.
Standing
or sitting for a very long time in one position can be dangerous. The
muscles need to relax in between periods of strain. Standing for too
long does not give that relaxation time and the legs might pain.
"It
puts a lot of pressure on knee joint and hinders the normal lubrication
of the joint which might lead to tear in the knee joint," Singal
explained.
Standing for too long can also cause varicose veins
(that lie under the skin of the legs). Severe long-standing varicose
veins can lead to leg swelling, venous eczema, skin thickening and
ulceration.
"Long standing causes aching legs and swelling and
can also affect our spine. One should avoid standing for long hours,"
advises Dr Deepak Verma, general physician from Columbia Asia
Hospital-Ghaziabad.
Just do not sit or stand in one position for more than 15 minutes, Verma adds.
So shun sitting and stand wherever you get a chance - from office to the Metro.
Just don't overdo it.
(Nishant Arora can be contacted at [email protected])