Current research suggests prolonged sitting is unhealthy, even for people who exercise when they aren’t in a chair. “We have engineered activity right out of people’s lives,” said Ray Browning, a Colorado State University professor in the school’s Health and Exercise Science department. One simple solution: Stand (or even walk) while working more. Among other things, standing burns more calories than sitting. But the benefits stem from more than just potential weight loss. Research is showing that muscle contraction and stimulation, which happens naturally in the legs when people are upright, promotes health, Browning said. When muscles are comparatively dormant for long periods of time, the benefits of muscle exertion are lost. It’s important to ease into the process over time (suddenly standing all day when you’re body is used to sitting isn’t a smart idea). And critical to be sure your screen and keyboard are aligned for good posture in standing just like is done in standing. If you’d like to take it a step further, TrekDesk offers a very nice desk that fits over most treadmills and allows you to walk while working. We’ve tried it and found it to be very sturdy, easy to use and frankly we found it simple – and once adapted, actually energizing- to work while walking slowly. For our Members, there’s a discount available on these in the Member Rewards section. But even without a treadmill, setting up a simple stand-up arrangement with basic items from the hardware store appears to be a wise move.