A programme on BBC Radio 4 last week looked at the impact of prolonged sitting on our health.  Not surprisingly, evidence shows that it’s bad for us.  But how bad?  Researchers at Leicester University have found strong evidence that sitting for long periods may be more harmful to our bodies than smoking!  Further, even if those with sedentary jobs do regular exercise outside of the workplace, this doesn’t offset the ill-effects of sitting at a desk for hours at a time.

Standing up and moving around instead of sitting still for long periods involves activating our key postural muscles.  The biggest muscles in the body are those in the legs and the backside.  By standing up and moving around we make better use of these muscle groups and key health benefits can be gained.  For example, research shows that standing up increases the metabolic rate and reduces the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

If you missed the programme, you can listen to it again for a limited period on the BBC iPlayer.

Standing, it’s the new sitting…