Too Much Sitting Leads to Decreased Functionality and Affects Cognition
Kitty song
2017-06-23 16:14:40
Too Much Sitting Leads to Decreased Functionality and Affects Cognition
While none of the children were injured, the Starretts observed that they had decreased functionality as a result of spending so much time in a seated, sedentary position. They're quick to point out that this isn't so much an issue of sitting versus standing as it is one of moving versus not moving.
Sitting is a sedentary behavior while standing is not. The duo approached the school's principal and succeeded in introducing standing desks to a classroom of fourth graders.
To date, through the development of their non-profit organization, they've given about 35,000 U.S. schoolkids access to standing desks in the classroom.
It's clear that this change is not only physical in nature, as the ability to move and fidget is linked to better learning in the classroom and improved productivity at work. "[E]veryone studying ADHD forever and ever has always seen a correlation between movement and cognition," Kelly noted, adding:
"For us to separate out our cognitive, brainy cells from our movement cells really is a type one error, and … all of the metrics that we measure, whether it's engagement or productivity, test scores, behavior disruption, all of those things are attenuated, or improved … when you have a human being not sit. That sedentary behavior literally starts to throw off light switches and down regulate the function of the human being."
