Standing More at Work Will Boost Your Health

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One of my favorite better living bloggers is Gabe Kapler, a retired baseball player (and new front office executive) whose articulacy and intellect blow jock stereotypes out of the water. I’ve written about his advice here before as his takes on fitness, wellness, and bettering your life fit so congruously with the Big Think mission. I highly recommend checking out his writing.

Kapler’s post from yesterday focuses on the subject of standing rather than sitting at work. The fellow in the photo above has modified his workspace to allow for a standing desk. Others like it are sold across the web. The site Lifehacker, which is where the previous link will take you, has long advocated for the benefits of standing while working. As Kapler notes, the reasons lie with health science. You burn more calories standing up than sitting down. He adds anecdotally that he does most of his best work and thinking while standing or walking around. You’re much more flexible, the blood flows better through your body, and you’re free to stretch and move your legs while maintaining good posture.

Kapler’s post eventually settles on a salient point about fitness efficiency. Many of us work long days and lack the opportunity to dedicate ourselves to the fitness plans we’d like. To employ a baseball metaphor: When building a successful ballclub you can make up for a lack of superstars by improving your roster at the margins. Likewise, if you can’t run six miles every morning the least you can do is try and improve on the 40 hours you spend sitting at your desk.

“Work can engulf us. It’s our responsibility to find ways to make it more sensical.”