Losing weight is tough. There are a ton of diets and exercise plans and health kicks promising to shed pounds and trim inches, but none of them work for everyone.
But what if the answer to burning calories was standing right in front of anyone who wanted to lose weight? What if getting healthier was as easy as just standing?
And it can be.
The BBC reported on a small study done by researchers from the University of Chester have found that standing for an extra three hours every day can burn a significant amount of calories.
An hour of standing can burn up to 50 calories, which may not seem like much, but over the course of a year it can make the scale go down. In fact, it can burn up to 30,000 calories each year, or what equals 8 pounds of fat!
The researchers in this study asked volunteers to stand for at least three hours during every weekday. The volunteers were asked to wear accelerometers, heart rate monitors and glucose monitors.
Researchers measured the volunteers' monitors on the standing days and compared them with the days they were asked to sit instead. They found that the volunteers' heart rates stayed higher on weekdays when they stood for an extra three hours.
Standing raised their heart rate by an additional 10 beats per minute, which equals a bigger calorie burn. Researchers also found that their blood glucose levels were able to go back to normal more quickly after eating too.
If standing burns more calories than sitting, then get up off that couch! Stand up to watch the prime time shows during the week. Or get a standing desk to mitigate the hours of computer work many people have.
Many of the coolest tech companies, including Google and Facebook, offer standing desks to their employees. Besides the health benefits, companies have reported higher energy levels for their employees who stand as well as a higher level of focus.
Losing weight might be a lofty goal, but it's not the only benefit of being on your feet more. Standing may simply make one's life a little healthier. A 2011 study found that those who sit most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of a heart attack.
So get up! And if standing is boring, then walk around. It will burn even more calories!
Sources:
Shine.Yahoo.com. Web. 23 October 2013. "Whoa, Doing This Simple Thing Every Day Burns as Many Calories as 10 Marathons".
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/whoa-doing-simple-thing-every-day-burns-many-153900074.html
Readwrite.com. Web. 26 September 2013. "We tested standing desks-Here's proof they make you more productive."
http://readwrite.com/2013/09/26/standing-desks-productivity#awesm=~ol9dKNwVE1UHwZ
Mashable.com. Web. 5 September 2011. "Just how dangerous is sitting all day?"
http://mashable.com/2011/05/09/sitting-down-infographic
Reviewed October 24, 2013
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith