We've talked about how the switch to a standing desk will help keep you healthy burn calories and even fight off chronic diseases and major illnesses like cancer. But did you know that when you use a height adjustable desk like the SquaredUp or PowerUp you're actually slowing down aging?
UK news publisher The Telegraph recently published findings that may have savvy stand up desk users dancing for joy. Apparently the more you stand the more you protect your DNA and the longer you live. It's as simple as that - kind of.
The full story is about telomeres. According to Wikipedia telomeres are little caps that sit at the end of your chromosomes and protect them from deterioration or fusion with other chromosomes. (Think about all those chromosomes running into each other like bumper cars - the telomeres are the little bumpers that keep your car from getting smashed up too quickly.) The longer your telomeres get the longer they protect your chromosomes and the longer they keep you healthy and alive. Basically they're important.
The Telegraph reports that the lifespan of telomeres which stop chromosomes from "fraying clumping together and 'scrambling' genetic code" is directly related to their length. Short telomeres have been linked to things none of us get particularly excited about - premature aging disease and even early death. Not cool. But what is cool is that scientists have recently discovered that the more time a person spends on two-feet the longer their telomeres become and the greater chance they have of outliving all their sitting friends.
Another fun fact - the study which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine also noted that increasing exercise won't make a difference in telomere length one way or another. So upping your time at the gym won't actually help - at least in this case.
Prof. Mai-Lis Hellenius from Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm said : "In many countries formal exercise may be increasing but at the same time people spend more time sitting." One of the study's researchers says "We hypothesise that a reduction in sitting hours is of greater importance than an increase in exercise time for elderly risk individuals."
Here's the key take-away... stand up! Stand up at your desk. Stand up during meetings. Stand up while you're watching TV or reading a book or just spending a few quiet moments away from daily stressors. You don't have to do it all day. You don't even have to do it more than a couple hours a day. Not only will you breathe easier and have more energy - you will actually be slowing down aging.
If you're ready to jump on the standing desk band-wagon and spend your day at a standing desk give UpDesk a call today!
