Health Benefits

You Might Have Seen The Headlines: “Sitting Is the New Smoking”

But What Does This Mean Exactly?

Sitting for too long can kill you. It might sound dramatic, but it is actually true. According to many specialists, there are detrimental effects of something that most Americans do without thinking too much about it – sitting for nearly 6 hours per day.

It’s common knowledge that sitting for prolonged periods increases your chances of negative health effects. In order to prevent this, it is absolutely recommended that office/home workers get up and take movement breaks throughout the day. However, in this fast pace life, it is not always easy to just walk away from your task at hand just to “take a break”, which is why it is the best of both worlds to install a standing desk.

Some of the Benefits of a Standing Desk Are:

Decreased Obesity Risk

Leading standing desk researchers conducted a study on a group of office workers. The test comprised of each office worker adding 1000 calories to their daily intake. They were asked to not change any of the current exercise or habits that they are normally used to.  The results? Some workers gained weight while others did not. Curious as to why this occurred, the researchers added sensors to the workers’ clothes to better track daily movement. They concluded that the group that didn’t gain weight was actually sitting down much less than the other workers. Even simply standing, stretching, or walking to the bathroom caused them to remain the same weight, due to sitting about 2 hours less on average than their peers.

Reduced Cancer Risk

Lack of physical activity can increase your chance of breast and colon cancer. A study in 2011 reported that about 43,000 cases of colon cancer and 49,000 cases about breast cancer are caused by sitting for too long. The same exact study suggested that ovarian, prostate, lung, and endometrial cancer also showed up due to prolonged sitting. Even though researchers have not found a definite answer, it is thought to be caused by an increase in C-reactive protein, which is mainly found in people who sit for long periods at a time.

Longer Life

Since prolonged sitting can cause things like cancer, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, it is correlated with shorter life span. Americans increase their life expectancy by an average of two years by reducing their sitting time from the average of 6 hours a day to only 3 hours a day, according to a 2011 study. With that said, it absolutely makes sense to get moving, and start standing for your health.

Better Posture

Do you slouch a lot? It could be due to sitting too much. If you want to improve your posture and reduce the strain you put on your yes, a standing desk is a great option. When you place your computer screen at resting eye level (99% of standing desks DO NOT), it keeps you from hunching over as you type away on your keyboard. A big bonus is that simple standing will improve your core strength, and ultimately fix/improve your body posture.

Sedentary Habits are Associated with Higher Risk of Developing Depression

With hours and hours related to sickness and shorter life span, why wouldn’t this be a cause of depression?  Sure, the news is terrifying, but that is not the main reason that frequent sitters are more depressed.  Actually, researchers have said that sitting reduces the circulation in your body, it is harder for the “feel good hormones” to make their way to your body receptors. An American Journal of Preventative Medicine study testing 9,000 middle aged women showed that those who sat longer and didn’t get enough exercise suffered from greater risk of depression. Those who sat more than seven hours a day were 47% more likely to suffer from depression.

So, How Can You Take Control of Your Life, and Cure This Huge Problem?

As human beings, we were built for activity and movement, and not to sit all day. One hour of movement bundled with hours and hours of a sedentary lifestyle is not good enough.

Sitting for long periods of time has been accepted as part of our daily routines for too long. This STOPS NOW! Between sitting in your car, at your computer, or on the couch, you’re sitting way too much. Sure, it might look inviting, but is it worth the terrible health effects? No, make a CHANGE!

Fun Fact: Standing burns 50 more calories per hour than sitting.     

Now that you’re scared out of your chair, here is the thing that sitting and smoking do not have in common. You don’t have to quit sitting forever to avoid these health consequences. You just need to find ways to sit less.

For most of us, the biggest blocks of sitting come when we are working. Adding a standing desk converter to your office is the ultimate way to avoid sitting. Stand comfortably while you work.

You’ll feel great. You’ll keep the blood flowing and your muscles working. You’ll wonder how you ever worked without one! Sitting is the new smoking, we’re here to help you fight it with our STANDING DESK. Say goodbye to heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.

Our customers love our Defy Desks.

Get Yours Here ---> SHOP DEFY DESK STANDING DESK

Check out our Defy Desk Standing Desk Converter and let us know if you have any questions!