Yes, You Are Burning Calories at Work. No, Your Standing Desk Is Not Helping.
At work, while, "working," you either walk, stand, or sit. And we don't mean standing at one of those ridiculous standing desks. We mean standing to chat, walking to grab lunch, sitting to do everything else. And all that relative inactivity burns a few calories.
This is where standing desk nerds should take a seat. According to a new study that measured energy expenditure of 74 healthy individuals, participants who stood for 15-minute periods in the workplace only burned eight to nine more calories per hour than those who only sat.
Eight or nine. That's like, a single Wheat Thin.
Walking for 15 minutes per hour was much more effective, burning about 130 more calories than sitting or standing. That's not nothing, especially in the long run.
The results speak specifically to weight loss-standing at work can still lessen the risk of diabetes, regulate blood sugar, and prevent back pain, as The New York Times pointed out.
Still, standing desks are horrifically dumb. Just take a walk around the office every once in awhile.
