Straying Off Message

There are many compelling reasons to get up out of your deck chair and stand more at work. But weight control is probably not one of them, according to a new study that precisely measured how many calories people burn during everyday office activities. 
The new study’s results suggest that engaging frequently in one type of activity while at work may help many of us avoid weight gain. But that activity is not standing up [does not stand up?] So far, so good. Most of us sit more than we should, and a majority of our sitting time occurs at work, since, in one of the key findings of the study, we learn that many modern professions are sedentary. Many of us spend six or seven hours tied to our desks each day. "Tied" of course is a figure of speech unless you happen to work for Amazon.
These long, uninterrupted periods of physical lethargy have been linked with increased risks for diabetes, heart disease, premature mortality and, not least, dismissal.

Surprisingly few studies, however, have closely tracked how many additional calories we burn if we stand up or walk around our offices. 
Why should this be so? The difficulty is all to with funding. In these stringent times, sponsors are loath to cough up funds unless they are pretty sure they already know what conclusions the study will come to. So for the new experiment, which was published this month in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, researchers affiliated with the Physical Activity and Waste Management Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh rounded up 74 healthy volunteers. Most were in their mid-20s, of normal weight, with some acquaintance with office life, and of sound body and mind. These volunteers were initially hostile to the idea of being "rounded up" and taking part in a study involving even a minimum amount of physical exercise, but soon changed their tune when they learnt that the funding secured by the Physical Activity and Weight Management Research  Center provided generous compensation for the waste of time incurred.
These volunteers were randomly assigned to four different groups. One group was asked to sit and type at a computer for 15 minutes (what they typed didn't have to make sense) and then stand up for 15 minutes, moving around and fidgeting as little as possible.
Another group also sat for 15 minutes, but watched a television screen and didn’t type. This was known as the "control" group, since this activity most closely mirrored that of actual office life. Afterwards, they immediately if reluctantly moved to a treadmill and walked for 15 minutes at a gentle, strolling pace. 
The third group stood up for 15 minutes and then sat down for 15 minutes, in that order.
And the final group walked on the treadmills for 15 minutes and then sat. 

At this point, a certain amount of unpleasantness crept in. Those assigned to groups 3 and 4 wanted to know why they were not paid more than those in the first two groups. With good will  shown all sides, and after strenuous negotiations, a compromise was eventually reached, and after a late show of peevishness by the researchers themselves, the study could at last get underway.

The results of this study need not concern us here, especially as once again, and as in almost every research project worthy of its salt, the report concludes with the words: FURTHER STUDIES WILL BE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO CONFIRM THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY.