Think Standing is Better for Your Health than Sitting?

Well, you should think again. According to a new study, excessive standing increases the risk of heart disease.

In recent years, there's been a growing concern regarding the negative health effects of prolonged sitting. Research shows that the average American spends more than eight hours sitting. Whether you're at the office, in the car or lounging at home, you are probably sitting. And all of that sitting can take a toll on your health by promoting weight gain and other harmful diseases. With that said, there's new evidence suggesting that standing for long periods of time is also bad for your health.

For the study, researchers from the University of Toronto's School of Public Health analyzed 7,300 workers between the ages of 35 and 74, none of whom had heart disease at the beginning of the study. Roughly 9% of the participants worked in jobs that required them to stand compared to 37% who worked in jobs that required them to sit for the majority of the time. Researchers followed participants for 12 years, paying close attention to how much time they spend sitting versus standing as well as their health.

After analyzing the results, researchers concluded that participants who stand for long periods of time at work were more likely to develop heart disease than their counterparts who sit at work. When discussing these findings, the study's lead researcher Peter Smith explained that certain things happen when you stand for long periods of time, such as blood pooling in your legs -- and this could be the reason why people who stand have higher rates of heart disease.

"There's a good body of research evidence that shows standing a lot, it's actually bad for your health," said Peter Smith, a senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. "There are things like blood pooling in your legs, the venous return, the pressure on your body to pump blood back up to your heart from your legs, and that can increase your oxidated stress which can increase your risk of heart disease."

The key thing to remember is that you need to move to protect your heart disease. Whether sitting or standing, being sedentary negatively affects the body in several ways. It contributes to weight gain, slows down metabolism levels, allows blood to pool in the legs and more. So, try to get into the habit of not just standing up every half hour, but also walking around and moving.