No need to die sitting

In the past few years, I've seen several people at work take to using the standing desk.  It was with some relief that I read a EurekAlert posting today, which says that taking a few 5-minute walks can reverse the harm caused to leg arteries during three hours of prolonged sitting.

Sitting for long periods of time, like many people do daily at their jobs, is associated with risk factors such as higher cholesterol levels and greater waist circumference that can lead to cardiovascular and metabolic disease. When people sit, slack muscles do not contract to effectively pump blood to the heart. Blood can pool in the legs and affect the endothelial function of arteries, or the ability of blood vessels to expand from increased blood flow.

Study participants who walked for 5 minutes each hour of sitting saw their arterial function stay the same -- it did not drop throughout the three-hour period. Saurabh Thosar says it is likely that the increase in muscle activity and blood flow accounts for this.