It’s Smart to Stand
We all have read the statistics on how sitting for long periods of time is terrible for our health – how we should get up and take a lap around the workplace at a brisk pace every 30 minutes for 5 minutes (we call them “wellness walks”) to get the blood flowing again to reduce the health risks from sitting. And we all know standing desks are the new “cool thing” to have in the office. But a recent study has shown standing can also make you smarter.
As many have realized, standing while working is hard. It requires more effort both physically and mentally. “Balancing your body weight, controlling slight muscle contractions- all of those little things amount to an additional level of cognitive stress.” This cognitive stress is not overwhelming to the individual, but a slight hum in the background of the day. According to Forbes, adding this to your daily duties and stressors will help you meet your perfect stress level. According to Forbes, “Too much is overwhelming, whereas too little causes complacency,” and simply standing during the day sharpens attention and increases cognitive function.
Cognitive benefits from physical exercise are well-known and studied. But could the simple act of standing really improve your brain processing ability that drastically? It turns out, yes.
