We all know it’s very unhealthy to be sitting on your butt for very long hours every day. While exercise is always good, researchers show that spending just two hours a day standing or moving around can have a real positive impact on your health.
In a new study published in the European Heart Journal, researchers had 782 participants wear activity trackers for seven days around the clock. The trackers monitored how much time the men and women spent stepping, sitting, standing, sleeping or lying down.
With the data, researchers used a mathematical model to calculate how time in each condition could affect men and women’s health.
They found spending two extra hours a day standing instead of sitting was linked to better blood sugar levels and lower levels of fat in the blood. If we want to get specific, that’s 2% lower average blood sugar levels and 11% lower levels of triglycerides.
Spending an extra two hours standing was also linked to a noticeably lower body mass index (BMI) and waist size.
More research is still needed, but the study is in line with the longstanding belief that moving around is better for our health than lounging around. Maybe that standing desk isn’t such a stupid idea…
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