A standing desk might not be the solution to your desk job health problems

A standing desk might not be the solution to your desk job health problemsA standing desk might not be the solution to your desk job health problemsIf youre a proud owner of a standing desk, its likely that youve also adopted a holier-than-thou attitude toward your colleagues who choose to do their work sitting down - Did you know thatsome expertssay that sitting for long periods of time is just as bad for you as smoking?But it turns out that you might be overestimating the health benefits of your standing desk, and even slightly exaggeratingthe pitfalls that come with sitting all day.Yes, most experts do agree that sitting all day couldincreaseyour riskfor heart disease and diabetes and other serious health issues in the long run. But a2016 studypublished in peer-reviewed medical journalThe Lancetfound that just one hour of exercise per day negates some of the scarier health risks linked to prolonged sitting,like premature death. So, although prolonged sitting isnt good for your he alth, it isnt likely to cause serious negative health consequences for the otherwise active individual.Your standing desk alone isnt going to turn you into a super-fit human.Standing desks might not be as healthy as everyone makes them out to be. A 2017 study published in theJournal of Ergonomicsconcluded that there arehealth risksassociated with prolonged standing, too. After working on computers at standing desks for two hours straight, study participantsreportedmuscle fatigue, overall physical discomfort and lower limb swelling- characteristics that dont really scream good health. The study also found that after two hours of working at a standing desk, reaction times and mental states of participants deteriorated. Although, interestingly, their creative problem-solving abilityimproved.Whats mora, if you bought your standing deskhoping that itd allow you to burn extra calories throughout your work day, you might end up disappointed. A 2016 study that measured the energy expenditu re of74 healthy peoplewhen they engaged in various activities, both sitting and standing, found that when standing, subjects burned an average of 88 calories per hour- only eight calories morethan the number of calories that they burned when sitting- not really enough of a difference to justify shelling out a ton of money on that expensive standing desk.Heres the real way to keep healthy when working a 9-to-5 desk job.Regardless of whether you choose to do your work sitting or standing, taking a break every hour for a brisk walk around the office can reduce some of the health risks associated with the sedentary 9-to-5 desk job lifestyle. In one 2015 study published in theClinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, two minutes of walking every hour were found to reduce some of the risks of prolonged sitting for participants by33 percent unfortunately, standing didnt have thesame positive effect.As mentioned earlier, a daily sweat session is also a great way to combat the negative health effects of a desk job. Afterexamining data from more than one million people, the University of Cambridge concluded in a 2016 study that exercising at a moderate intensity for 60 to 75 minutes every daycompletelyeliminatesa desk workers risk for premature death due to prolonged sitting. The good news is that you dont have to hit the gym to get in this level of activity every day- taking a brisk, hour-long walk counts so long as youre walking at a speed thats equal to or greater than3.5 miles per hour.This article was originally published on Swirled.com.