Whoa, Doing This Simple Thing Every Day Burns as Many Calories as 10 Marathons

Vitamin G, Glamour Magazine

by Lexi Petronis



If you want to burn calories equivalent to running 10 marathons a year, then the results of a new study show that you should do this. Well, actually--the opposite of this (sorry, Liz Lemon!):

Courtesy of NBC
Courtesy of NBC

The small study--via the BBC and the University of Chester--found that standing instead of sitting for an extra three hours a day can add up to burning serious calories over the course of a year: 30,000! That's about 50 extra calories per hour (or what amounts to 8 pounds of fat).

See more:25 Celebrity Hairstyles That Will Make You Want Bangs

In the experiment, volunteers stood for at least three hours during weekdays and wore, throughout their days, accelerometers, heart rate monitors, and glucose monitors. Then researchers took measurements on standing days and compared them with the days when volunteers sat instead. Not only did the volunteers heart rates stay higher on the days they stood--about 10 extra beats per minute, which translates into a bigger calorie burn--but their blood glucose levels went back to normal more quickly after eating.

See more:8 Hair Color Ideas To Try This Fall

Neat, right? But how do you actually add in those three extra hours of standing? Well, there are standing desks--they're higher, so that you can do everything you'd normally do while sitting. Treadmill desks up the ante so that you actually walk while you work!

Or, instead of plopping on the couch at the end of the day to watch TV, stand up. Think about the activities you usually do while sitting--maybe it's possible to swap some of it for standing instead.

What are your thoughts? Do you ever make it a point to stand instead of sit?

More from Glamour:
10 Wardrobe Essentials Every Woman Should Own
8 Workout Moves for a Toned Body in Two Weeks
The 10 Prettiest Hair, Nail and Makeup Looks for Fall 2013
10 Things He's Thinking When You're Naked