Culture Shift Away From Sitting and Towards Active Desks

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Sitting is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes, which is why it is often paralleled with smoking. They are both harmful, yet modifiable.

It gets worse for desk-workers and for students.

Research suggests that even if you are active (e.g. jog, bike, or Zumba) for 60 minutes every day, the additional physical activity does not offset the damage caused by sitting.

“Just as jogging and tomato juice don’t make up for a night of smoking and drinking, a little evening exercise doesn’t erase the physical damage done by a full work day at your desk,” Eric Jaffe, a CityLab editor, said.

Active, standing, and treadmill desks positively impact metabolic risk factors, such as increases in HDL cholesterol and reductions in LDL cholesterol. Not only are standing desks found to elevate mood, but when workers return to their sitting desks, their mood deflates.

Because workers spend a majority of their day at work and students spend a majority of their day at school, it is essential to increase opportunities for physical activity, such as standing and active desks. Additionally, yet separately, it is critical to reduce the amount of time that desk-workers and students spend sitting.

Learn more about active/standing desks, here.

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