A full quarter of adults in this country are lying down on the job — well, sitting down mostly. But regardless of how they're positioned, they're not active enough to protect their health or longevity.
It may surprise you that a new study shows the solution to a sedentary lifestyle isn't to simply stand up more. It turns out that people who trade a sit-down desk for a stand-up one, but don't move much from that upright position, aren't doing themselves any favors.
A study in the International Journal of Epidemiology compared risks for cardiovascular and circulatory health problems in people who sit a lot and those who stand a lot.
Apparently, standing (without moving around) doesn't improve your heart health, and every 30-minute increase in time standing beyond two hours a day increases your risk for orthostatic hypotension, low blood pressure triggered when standing up, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, which is a rapid increase in heart rate associated with low blood pressure.
Whether you're sitting or standing a lot, make sure to move around for at least two minutes every 30 minutes. And you can download a phone app to see how you're doing with your goal of reaching 10,000 steps a day or the equivalent.