Is your chair really your enemy?

All year I've been banging on about how bad sitting is for you, and it seems that I'm not alone any more. 

Working standing up is set to be one of next year's biggest trends. The jury may still be out on the benefits of ditching the office chair for good, but as someone who does much of his day job on his feet, I'm all for getting out of your chair as often as possible.

Here's why. Sitting is almost entirely passive, using hardly any muscles at all. In contrast, standing is surprisingly active, engaging the back, shoulder, leg and core muscles.

If you're desk-bound at work, why not have your meetings standing up? Studies show that people who do more of their work standing and moving tend to weigh less, have better blood pressure and blood sugar levels and thinner waists than colleagues who sit all day.

And those aren't the only benefits. There are more key advantages of getting off your butt and onto your legs:

1. We are designed to stand rather than to sit. The more of it we do, the more we can reduce the risk and onset of posture-related injuries such as lower and/or upper back pain.
2. Standing burns more calories than sitting.
3. Because you're more active, you'll feel more energised.
4. And last — and, for me, best of all — it keeps meetings short.

Taking it a step further, if you have a two-person meeting, why not do it on the move and go for a walk instead? The fresh air and the activity are a great way of staying alert and focused.

It might sound strange but it works for me. My business partner and I often go for a wander when we have something to talk about and we have many of our best ideas that way.

David Higgins is co-founder of TenPilates (tenpilates.com).