Back in 2013, I reported that sitting (hence writing) might be killing us. According to a recent meta-analysis, it's too soon to jeer at your coworkers who haven't jumped on the standing or treadmill desk trend.
Dr. Jos Verbeek from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health told NPR, "What we actually found is that most of it is, very much, just fashionable and not proven good for your health."
The study reports that standing desks were beneficial during the first year of use, but positive effects declined over time. Granted, this was a very small study. Researchers hope larger studies will determine not only the impact of standing desks, but of other potential changes.
Dr. Verbeek recognizes the largest problem: disinterest over time. "Changing behavior is very difficult," Verbeek said in the NPR interview. He's got my number there. I bought a standing desk in 2014, used it intermittently for about a year, then tired of it and sold it to a friend.
Instead of standing desks, Dr. Verbeek suggests placing the printer in a corridor that's further away from your desk or make the one bathroom five flights of stairs up, and restrict use of elevators to people with accessibility needs.
I wonder how popular Dr. Verbeek is at his office!Labels: Dr. Jos Verbeek, exercise, standing desk, treadmill desk