Stand up at your desk for two hours a day, new guidelines say
- Herald Sun
- June 02, 2015
DESK jockeys should stand for at least two hours during their working day to stay healthy and productive, new guidelines recommend.
Concerned by the impact of a modern sedentary lifestyle and obesity, a panel of international experts have issued a directive for regular physical activity breaks or standing desks to help stave off cardiac diseases and premature death.
Including Prof David Dunstan, the head of physical activity research at Melbourne’s Baker IDI institute, the panel’s recommendations in today’s British Journal of Sports Medicine sets a two-hour minimum for daily upright needs.
“This is not just saying ‘you must stand for two hours’ — you can accumulate that two hours throughout the day, just as you can accumulate 30 minutes of physical activity across the day,” Prof Dunstan said.
“It’s encouraging people to reduce their sitting time by at least two hours through standing or moving around more frequently.”
Prof Dunstan said frequent sessions of light-intensity movement improved glucose and insulin levels, which had been shown to reduce discomfort and fatigue in office workers.
The recommendations come as Baker IDI gears up for a national Quit the Sit event on June 11, which aims to event to put sedentary behaviour under the spotlight by encouraging people not to sit for the entire day while raising money for the institute.
For further information visit www.onyourfeet.org.au.