Your heart and cardiovascular system works more effectively when you stand as humans are build to stand upright. When you are upright, your bowel also functions more efficiently.
When you are physically active, your overall energy levels and endurance improve, and your bones maintain strength. Translating into a lower risk for heart disease - spending less time sitting and more time standing lowers blood sugar, cholesterol, and weight.
How sitting increases risk of heart disease
Every two hours a day spent sitting is associated with an increase in weight and waist size, as well as in levels of blood sugar and cholesterol. As you might expect, time spent walking rather than sitting not only lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels, but also reduces waist size and weight. Perhaps more surprisingly, simply substituting two hours of standing for sitting also improves blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
The more we sit, the more we’re likely to develop heart disease and other illnesses, including diabetes and cancer according to many studies. Too many hours spent on our bottoms increases the risk of dying from any cause — even among people who exercise regularly, whether it’s sitting at the computer to get some work done or lounging on the sofa reading a book. This is because you stop using blood sugar efficiently when your body is still for too long. You also lose muscle, mobility, and flexibility. You may gain weight or develop depression over the long term.
Heart disease is directly linked to sitting for long periods. It should be noted that men who watch more than 23 hours of television a week have a 64 per cent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than men who only watch 11 hours of television a week at a stretch. People who are inactive and sit for long periods have a 147 per cent higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke today.
Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and a shorter life expectancy are seen more in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle or sit for long periods at work.
Standing desks can help lower heart disease
Standing while working, even for just 30 minutes at a time can have a major impact on your health and body, and it’s not difficult to do if you have the right equipment. Making it very easy to change posture throughout the day while working, Sit-Stand desks, sometimes known as standing desks or height-adjustable desks, are all the rage.
The use of standing desks just might be one of the ways that adults can combat heart disease, experts say. It is widely known that sitting for prolonged periods of time, even in combination with exercise, can significantly increase risk for heart disease, blood clots, diabetes, obesity and even early death. Sit stand desks can help break up the time spent sitting by allowing us to alternate from sitting to standing positions periodically. Research has shown that standing for even three minutes after sitting for 60 minutes can help reduce the effects of prolonged sitting by forcing the body to maintain its balance.
You can also find other ways to stand more at office, like - get up and walk to your coworker’s office rather than relying heavily on email. Stand while you talk instead of making yourself comfortable in that extra chair.
A simple, manageable adjustment that can add important health benefits is decreasing the time sitting while at work. Regular exercise also is an excellent way to prevent cardiovascular disease and improve overall health.