Sitting vs Standing

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by CrowZer0, Mar 2, 2014.

  1. CrowZer0

    CrowZer0 Assume formlessness.

    I was reading an article I'm not quite sure on what right now. But a comment on the article stuck in my head and got me googling. Someone made a comment about "standing up" every 20 minutes. To stop something from happening (can't remember specifically what).

    I tried to read a little about the benefits of standing vs sitting. And am left confused.

    A couple of articles on lifehacker and BBC. http://lifehacker.com/5800720/the-s...of-prolonged-sitting-importance-of-getting-up

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24532996

    Now lifehacker would have us stand all day. (Which I don't have a problem with). But a lot of their articles seem to be aimed at improving sales of standing desks. Apparently sitting all day decreases our life expectancy for 2 years. (Where do they get these numbers?)

    Some counter arguments include, we used to stand more a hundred years ago, but live longer now, some accounted how their parents stood all day working in a factory assembly line, and how they ended up with bad backs and other problems by the time they hit their 50s.

    I've even come across articles that state standing still for prolonged times is bad for the lower back, as we were made to walk. Not stand, but this can be sorted by resting one foot on something and alternating.

    What are your thoughts on standing vs sitting?

    Could someone delve into some of the science a little bit?

    What's the perfect balance of standing and sitting?

    Anyone have a standing desk? Thoughts on this?
     
  2. YouKnowWho

    YouKnowWho Valued Member

    You can stand in certain posture to "enhance" your MA ability. You can't do that in sitting.

    - Running is better than walking.
    - Walking is better than standing.
    - Standing is better than sitting.
    - Sitting is better than laying down.
    - Laying down is better than to be dead.
     
  3. CrowZer0

    CrowZer0 Assume formlessness.

    I think this was more in the terms of how much of each in a 24 hour period.

    For example, if one is to sleep for 7-8 hours. Then another 8 on top of that sitting, that would make 16 hours of "inactivity" in a day. As opposed to standing.

    What I was looking at is the balance. The proponents of stand all day, seem to claim that exercise for 1-2 hours a day will not be of great benefit if the rest of the day is spent sitting.

    So what I'm looking for is the balance. And peoples thoughts. Perhaps some info on the "get up every 20 minutes" rule. Does this mean, if I'm in the cinema watching a 3 hour movie I need to get up every 20 minutes? Or if I am on my feet for 8 hours a day, can I spend a couple of hours lazing in front of the TV?

    This is more the sort of info I am after, with some science or evidence to clarify the points perhaps. I already train 5-6 x a week. Am fairly active, and only really sit down for longer than 20 minutes during a meal, or in the evenings if I'm on the PC or watching a show. Even then, I drink so much water, I need to get to the toilet every hour or so.
     
  4. YouKnowWho

    YouKnowWho Valued Member

    Are you talking about standing at work, or are you talking about standing by yourself? Do you train MA? Do you want to stand for comfort, or do you want to stand to develop something?
     
  5. CrowZer0

    CrowZer0 Assume formlessness.

    Yes I have trained MA since I could walk. I'm talking about the benefits of standing vs sitting. Standing in opposition to sitting and how much. Did you read any of the articles posted?
     
  6. inthespirit

    inthespirit ignant

    Pfffft... YKW is obviously alluding to this:

    [​IMG]

    :D
     
  7. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    I think the "every 20 minutes" thing (which I believe is actually every 30 minutes) is because after a period of no activity your metabolism starts to slow down. The proclamations seem to be stolen from the "be more physically active" camp rather than its own science about standing up. I'll have to give the articles a go and looks for the info. I just mentioned. That's my initial thought from what you posted.
     
  8. CrowZer0

    CrowZer0 Assume formlessness.

    This could be way off, but I'm sure I read something about electrical signals shutting down, (glycogen)? And so on. I cant recall where I read it. I tend to open up 50 tabs and shift through them when I look into something.
     
  9. Mangosteen

    Mangosteen Hold strong not

    theres a couple papers out there on sedentary behaviour and insulin sensitivity.
     
  10. YouKnowWho

    YouKnowWho Valued Member

    I don't know the OP wants to talk about MA or just to talk about "health".

    When talking about "standing", I'm more thinking about this:

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vaV2RvF0gU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vaV2RvF0gU[/ame]
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2014
  11. Hive

    Hive Valued Member

    I too have read an article or two on the consequences of prolonged sitting. I can only speak from personal experience of someone who sits at work for hours plus often later when on the home PC. After a while I am now very conscious of the fact that I can feel my legs go numb if I don't use them for a while. I make a point of getting up now for a stretch, a quick walkabout. Even a set of push ups sometimes.
     
  12. CrowZer0

    CrowZer0 Assume formlessness.

    If you looked at the section this was posted in, (Misc H&F) and the couple of links I provided. It would be blatantly obvious it was about health in general.
     
  13. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    I've set an alarm in my PC and get up every 45 mins at work.
    Sometimes it's just to make a cuppa or get some water but other times I foam roll my back (trying to counter the sitting posture) and/or do some yoga (trying to get some hip flexor flexibility back).
    There's some sort of government guidelines on how often to leave a computer screen isn't there?
     
  14. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Standing can be just as bad as sitting. It all depends how you do it.

    If you have good body awareness, you can sit in ways that are not "inactive".

    My experience is, no matter if you're standing or sitting, don't allow yourself to hold any one position for more than a minute. Keep switching how you are distributing weight through your stucture. Swap between flexion and extension of the spine often.

    Using a swiss ball to sit on can be a good way of encouraging that without having to think about it too much.
     
  15. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Oh, and I'd say that it's furniture that is the enemy of mankind, not sitting per se.
     
  16. CrowZer0

    CrowZer0 Assume formlessness.

    Could you explain that a little better please?

    Wouldn't standing as opposed to being sedentary through sitting, be the lesser of two evils? Even if it did develop a little lower back pain?
     
  17. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Ask someone who stands all day for work!

    You can stand all day and still be fat with swollen ankles. I know people who do both, and both seem to think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
     
  18. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    I think the key is to imagine primitive man.
    Would he sit or stand all day?
    Well clearly he'd do neither. There'd be no impetus to pick one or the other (like having to do a job that requred it for hours on end).
    He'd walk, squat, jog, climb, twist, lift etc etc.
    When he was tired of standing up for too long he'd sit down and vice versa.
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2014
  19. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    That's why I think furniture is the enemy.

    If you don't have squishy, comfy things to sit and lie on you have to keep shifting about to stay comfortable.

    Awareness is key though, I feel. Most people seem to switch-off below the neck, and don't pay attention to what their body is doing.
     
  20. CrowZer0

    CrowZer0 Assume formlessness.

    What would eb the alternative to furniture? The floor?

    I find I really like back support when I am sitting... Maybe that is just laziness.
     

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