Working while standing allows you to burn more calories than working seated: this is not new. But researchers at the Mayo Clinic set out to quantify the number of extra calories lost. They therefore analyzed the results of 46 studies already published on the subject and involving 1184 participants.
This study, published on European Journal of Preventive Cardiology shows that the difference in energy expenditure is 0.1 calories per minute in women and 0.19 calories per minute in men. It may seem trivial but all these calories accumulated hour after hour and day after day, would allow to lose (or not to gain) 2.5 kg per year, without changing your diet or practicing an additional sporting activity. Simply by spending at least 6 hours a day in a standing position.
Sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of premature death
Unsurprisingly, this extra energy expenditure comes from the fact that standing mobilizes more muscle groups than sitting. The number of calories burned varies between men and women, which is probably explained by their difference in height and the degree of muscle tone.
A previous study had shown that sitting for at least 11 hours a day greatly increased the risk of premature death. So that sedentary lifestyle would kill more than obesity.
Another study also found that physical inactivity increased the risk of heart failure.
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