Squatting and kneeling are better for office health
The sedentary lifestyle of modern people has been proven to be very harmful to the body, but new research has found that the key to the problem may not be sitting for long periods of time, but sitting.
A safari-gatherer tribe in Tanzania spends most of the day still, either squatting or kneeling, but they don't have any health problems associated with sitting. Scientists point out that this may mean that squatting and kneeling are healthier resting or working positions.
Resting positions such as squatting or kneeling may be more beneficial, the researchers noted, because these positions require more muscle activity than sitting still in a chair.
The study's findings are based on data collected from a game-gatherer tribe in Tanzania who wore devices to measure their physical activity and rest time.
American anthropologists have found that even though the Hazda tribe spends nearly 10 hours of stillness a day, the equivalent of working a day at a desk, they don't seem to show signs of chronic illness from prolonged sitting.
Anthropologists believe this is due to the "active resting posture" adopted by the tribe.
"Despite the long periods of time that Hazda people remained motionless, we noticed an important difference: They often adopt resting positions that require a little muscle movement to maintain—either squatting or kneeling."
Sitting for long periods of time can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death, but the researchers point out that this goes against evolutionary theory of preferring strategies to conserve energy.
"The tendency or behavior to conserve energy is critical to the success of human evolution," said study co-author Brian Wood, an anthropologist at the University of California. "But when the environment changes rapidly, this tendency does not lead to optimal The result. Sitting for a long time is an example."
To find out more, the researchers looked at data from 28 Hazda adults who wore accelerometers for up to eight days and compared it with information gathered from previous studies measuring the resting state of the modern workforce.
They found that their test subjects engaged in high-intensity physical activity for just over an hour a day while remaining immobile for hours, with between 9 and 10 hours a day of (awake) immobility. But despite remaining in a resting position for long periods of time, the Hazda did not show any signs of health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
This is because the squatting and kneeling positions of the Hazda require more muscle movement than sitting on a chair, the researchers said.
They suggest that active resting postures may help "protect people from the harmful effects of standing still.
Dr. Richland said: "Sitting on a beanbag or sitting on an office chair requires less muscle activity than squatting or kneeling. Because a small amount of muscle movement requires energy, which usually means burning fat, squatting and kneeling positions Maybe not as harmful as sitting in a chair."
