What's worse standing or sitting? (2024)

What's worse standing or sitting?

There are a few good reasons why we should consider standing more often, among them lower blood sugar levels, lower risk of heart disease and less stress and fatigue than those who sit for eight hours or more each day. “Standing has a significantly larger impact on our longevity than sitting.

Which is worse standing or sitting all day?

Is Sitting or Standing Worse For Your Back? Sitting puts more pressure on your lower back than standing. A small study in 2018 found that people who started using a sit stand desk and counselling to improve their sedentary behaviour experienced a 50% decrease in low back pain.

Is it better to stand or sit for 8 hours?

More calories burned: One study showed that standing sheds 88 calories an hour, compared to 80 calories for sitting. Walking burns a lot more -- 210 calories an hour. Less back pain: Sitting for long periods of time tightens your muscles and can hurt your lower back, especially if you have bad posture.

Is it better for your body to sit or stand?

Standing Lowers Your Risk of Weight Gain and Obesity

Conversely, burning more calories than you take in results in weight loss. While exercise is the most effective way to burn calories quickly, simply choosing to stand instead of sitting can also be beneficial.

Is it better to be seated or standing?

Modelling studies show that swapping one hour of sitting each day for one hour of standing leads to improvements in waist circumference, fat and cholesterol levels. The benefit is even greater when sitting is replaced with walking or moderate-to-vigorous activity.

How long standing is unhealthy?

People who sit for more than four hours per day lead a sedentary lifestyle. This includes adults who exercise regularly after work. Even just one hour of sustained sitting causes blood to pool in the legs. Risks begin to manifest for those who stand more than four hours per day.

Is standing for 8 hours bad?

Prolonged and frequent standing, without some relief by walking, causes blood to pool in the legs and feet. This pooling may progress over time to chronic and painful varicose veins and inflammation. Excessive standing also causes the joints in the spine, hips, knees, and feet to become temporarily immobilized.

What is the 20 8 2 rule?

Use your phone or a pedometer to count your steps, shooting for 5,000 to 10,000 per day. 4. Follow the 20-8-2 rule. Sit for 20 min, stand for 8 min, and move for 2 min.

How much sitting a day is too much?

Researchers analyzed 13 studies of sitting time and activity levels. They found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying similar to that posed by obesity and smoking.

How many hours a day is it OK to stand?

How many hours a day are you supposed to stand? Experts have found that you should try to stand for at least 2 hours per day, but up to 4 hours per day could be optimal. This might seem like a lot, but there are lots of ways you can fit standing into your day.

Can you burn fat by standing?

Multiple studies have shown people typically burn more calories standing than sitting. One study showed that adults who weigh 143 pounds burn 0.15 more calories a minute when standing versus sitting. If you stand for six hours per day instead of sitting, you burn around 54 additional calories.

What are the side effects of standing long hours?

According to the CCOHS report, prolonged standing effectively reduces the blood supply to the muscles resulting in the acceleration of the onset of fatigue and causes pain in the muscles of the legs, back and neck, as well as pooling of blood in the legs and feet which leads to varicose veins.

What muscles get weak from sitting?

Sitting for long periods can lead to weakening and wasting away of the large leg and gluteal muscles. These large muscles are important for walking and for stabilising you. If these muscles are weak you are more likely to injure yourself from falls, and from strains when you do exercise.

Can I stand all day?

Standing all day for 8 hours can lead to its own set of health issues, such as varicose veins, back and joint pain, and foot problems. It's generally recommended to alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day to avoid the negative effects of prolonged sitting or standing.

How long should I stand a day?

According to the recommendation, written by health experts and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, people should aim to stand at least two hours a day during working hours.

Does standing build muscle?

Hamilton also notes that standing is just targeting the muscles of your lower body without enough resistance or intensity to effectively strengthen and build muscle mass. So, it's a no-go on true strength building. Longevity Doctors Suggest Making These 3 Tweaks to Your Fitness Routine To...

Is standing bad for your heart?

“When you're standing for a prolonged period of time, the blood tends to pool in your legs, and it's hard for your heart to pump that blood back up to the top of your body,” he said. That can increase your risk of heart disease.

Why you shouldn't stand all day?

So the elevated risk of heart disease for standing jobs like sales clerk, cook, and machine operator is real, and something that people should be aware of. It's likely a result of blood pooling in the legs, and the increased stress of pumping it back up to the heart.

Why standing all day is bad for you?

A study found that standing all day at work or for 5 hours- straight prolonged standing per day causes considerable and sustained lower-limb muscular exhaustion. Long-term spinal discomfort and orthopedic diseases may result as a consequence of this.

What happens when you sit all day?

Other research has linked prolonged sitting or other sedentary behavior to diabetes, poor heart health, weight gain, depression, dementia, and multiple cancers. It's a habit that seems to start early.

Does standing have any benefits?

“Constant sitting also negatively affects brain health and memory over time. Standing can help fight neural aging issues like medial temporal lobe deterioration, which is the area of the brain that houses memory.”

How do you rest your legs after standing all day?

Elevate your legs and feet: Your heart needs to work overtime to circulate blood when you're standing all day. You may already put your feet up after a long day, but place a few extra pillows beneath them to elevate them above your heart. You can also lay down on the floor and rest your feet up against a wall.

How long should you sit before taking a break?

Every 30 minutes is often suggested, especially for people who spend most of their day sitting or are otherwise inactive for a significant portion of the day. Two larger breaksone in the middle of the first half of the day, and one in the middle of the second half of the day, are also recommended.

Does a lot of sitting age you?

“Women who did not meet the physical activity guideline and were sedentary for at least 10 hours a day were biologically older; their cells are aging faster than those of women who were less sedentary.” Exactly how much physical activity is needed to negate the aging effects of sitting on the cells isn't clear yet.

Does sitting too much age you?

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- You might age a lot faster if you sit too much, a new study warns. Researchers who assessed nearly 1,500 older women found those who sat most of the day and got little exercise had cells that were biologically older by eight years than the women's actual age.