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 problems A standing desk might not be the solution to your desk job health problems If you’re a proud owner of a standing desk, it’s likely that you’ve also adopted a holier-than-thou attitude toward your colleagues who choose to do their work sitting down - “Did you know that  some experts  say 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 exaggerating  the pitfalls that come with sitting all day.Yes, most experts do agree that sitting all day could  increase  your risk  for heart disease and diabetes and other serious health issues in the long run. But a  2016 study  published in peer-reviewed medical journal  The Lancet  found 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 isn’t good for your health, it isn’t likely to cause serious negative health consequences for the otherwise active individual.Y our standing desk alone isn’t 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 the  Journal of Ergonomics  concluded that there are  health risksassociated with prolonged standing, too. After working on computers at standing desks for two hours straight, study participants  reported  â€œmuscle fatigue,” overall physical “discomfort” and “lower limb swelling”  - characteristics that don’t 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 ability  improved.What’s more, if you bought your standing desk  hoping that it’d allow you to burn extra calories throughout your work day, you might end up disappointed. A 2016 study that measured the energy expenditure of  74 healthy people  when 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 more  than 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.Here’s 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 the  Clinical 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 by  33 percent; unfortunately, standing didn’t have the  same positive effect.As mentioned earlier, a daily sweat session is also a great way to combat the negative health effe cts of a desk job. After  examining 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 day  completely  eliminates  a desk worker’s risk for premature death due to prolonged sitting. The good news is that you don’t have to hit the gym to get in this level of activity every day  - taking a brisk, hour-long walk counts so long as you’re walking at a speed that’s equal to or greater than  3.5 miles per hour.This article was originally published on Swirled.com.