I work in front of a computer, at a standing desk. You can get adjustable desks too and stand for part of the day.
The "not sitting" part is achievable, I believe there are countries (Denmark maybe?) that even mandate that computer desks in offices be adjustable so everyone can choose whether to sit or stand.
That said, I've been working at my standing desk for over a year, I wasn't very fit before, and I don't feel any different now. I don't think that literal "not sitting" has great benefits in itself. Standing is not exercise, you would have to move more to get a real benefit. This study might be measuring a difference in steps taken rather than in "sedentary" behavior vs. standing in place.
The issue is remaining static, sitting is fine in small doses but the longer you sit, the more problematic as blood pools, muscles adaptively shorten, and your posture deteriorates. Sitting down, getting up, walking, driving, we also need to be cognizant of our posture and form during these motions, as there are right and wrong ways that put more or less stress on the body. For instance, sitting down from the hips, bending from those joints while maintaining an upright chest. Or walking, ensuring your feet point mostly parallel and forward, not out to the sides. Also, computer guy posture is rampant amongst tech workers, taking time off to stretch and mobilize is key to avoid long term kyphosis.
I work in a pretty traditional office space and our desks are not adjustable. I also can’t get any work done if I’m up moving around so I’m at my desk 90% of the day since it seems pretty standard for nobody to take proper lunches.
Get into a problem and suddenly I’ve been sitting for five hours straight. Sometimes longer! Plus you need to be looking busy.
I don’t know how other people do it. I work out in the mornings (hampered now by an ankle injury) but even then I still gain wait and feel just worn at the end of the day. Motivation lowers further when I don’t get regular workouts in.
And I used to work jobs that had physical demands, do other physical activities outside of work. I could eat anything and not gain a pound.
I love the creative and craftwork of developing a sound solution to emergency problems but I hate being so sedentary. It actually drives me crazy and the physical implications just compound that.
Very much agreed. I have a sitting/standing desk and I've had a huge improvement in back issues since using it (and actually standing at it.. it's easy to forget to do that when you're so used to sitting).
However, I also notice that if I'm standing I am more likely to walk away from my desk and move around a bit more.
I'd think that at the very least, it's more difficult to stand still for long periods without walking around at least a little bit, than to remain sitting. So prolonged standing presents a lower barrier of entry to not being sedentary.
I used a walking desk for a couple of days a few years ago. It was fine for stuff like reading and responding to emails, but I couldn't write even simple programs while walking.
The "not sitting" part is achievable, I believe there are countries (Denmark maybe?) that even mandate that computer desks in offices be adjustable so everyone can choose whether to sit or stand.
That said, I've been working at my standing desk for over a year, I wasn't very fit before, and I don't feel any different now. I don't think that literal "not sitting" has great benefits in itself. Standing is not exercise, you would have to move more to get a real benefit. This study might be measuring a difference in steps taken rather than in "sedentary" behavior vs. standing in place.