Employees who spend half of an eight-hour working day standing use 13% more energy than colleagues who are seated, a new study has found.
Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute Professor David Dunstan led the study, measuring the energy expenditure of 20 desk-based workers over two weeks. During an average five-day working week, the extra energy used to stand for four hours a day equated to a 45-minute brisk walk.
“This is a small increment but it’s significant if you consider the difference over a working week,” Dunstan has said. “If people change their workplace environment and they were also meeting their regular exercise goals, it would have a positive effect on their health.”
Recent research found people who spend most of their days sitting may not ward off heart disease, even if they exercise for 30 minutes a day as recommended.
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