How Much Sitting is Too Much?
While there's still research needed to determine the optimal ratio between sitting and standing, at this point Levine, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic, believes that if you've been sitting for an hour straight, you've been already sitting too long. He goes on to explain that you should be on your feet for at least 10 minutes every hour.
Dr. Joan Vernikos, the former director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Life Sciences Division and author of Sitting Kills, Moving Heals studied sedentary individuals and found that they need to stand up around 35 times per day to counteract the toll sitting takes. It is best if these bouts of standing are spread out as equally as possible to maximize the benefit. Standing in a single bout does very little and standing all day long isn't the answer either. There are health problems correlated with spending too much time on your feet. So the take home is to maintain a good balance of frequent switching between sitting and standing.
What to Do?
There are so many standing workstation options and even treadmill desks to allow individuals to walk while they work. There are also under the desk cycling units so employees can peddle while they work.
Standing workstations are the most economical option of these and frankly commonplace nowadays. The drawback to standing workstations is the fact that standing for prolonged periods without movement has shown to have negative health consequences too. In addition, studies have shown that sitting improves concentration and even that there is a novelty factor associated with sit to stand desks. The longer employees have them, the less likely they are to use them.
Treadmills and cycling workstations break the bank having price tags starting usually at a thousand dollars. So cost is a big drawback as well as employee safety. Another concern is the sway of the upper torso and movement of the arms while walking and peddling affecting efficiency and concentration.
Cornell University has a comprehensive ergonomics resource center with suggestions that include:
Sit to do computer work. Sit using a height-adjustable, downward titling keyboard tray for the best work posture, then every 20 minutes stand for eight minutes and move for two minutes. The exact time spent isn't critical but about every 20-30 minutes, take a posture break and stand and move for a couple of minutes. Simply standing is insufficient.
Movement is important to get blood circulation through the muscles. And movement is free! Research shows that you don't need to do vigorous exercise (e.g. jumping jacks) to get the benefits, just walking around is sufficient. So build in a pattern of creating greater movement variety in the workplace (e.g. walk to a printer, water fountain, stand for a meeting, take the stairs, walk around the floor, park a bit further away from the building each day).
As we start to better understand the negative health effects sedentary work, we will naturally take steps for a better future. Possibly through the design of workspaces or implementation of company policies that help to fight the upwards battle against sitting too much.