This is at odds with the article, which states:
> Since 2010, researchers have been keen to point out that sedentary behaviour is distinct from a lack of physical activity. You can get sufficient exercise per day, and still sit for too long.
1. Sitting is the optimal position for getting work done like on a computer while almost not engaging any muscles beneath your shoulders (bad)
2. It tends to shorten the hip flexors which ultimately can affect your lower back
3. Any sedentary but still somewhat active position tends to be viewed as better, such as standing or squatting. There are tribes in Africa that are very sedentary but don’t sit on chairs—they squat instead
Source: Move Your DNA (book)
The problem for me is that, while I do have and use standing desks, I won’t use them for more than thirty minutes at a time. Often thirty minutes a day only (on a good day). So for me I just haven’t found a lot of good alternatives to either replace sitting or minimize it. I have seriously tried to stand on my knees at the office but eh it’s kind of painful and distracting and you get derisive attention.
EDIT: Oh shoot, I guess this proves that I don’t use it enough: I totally forgot that I also have a walking treadmill. Oh man it’s actually quite nice, and I am able to walk faster than I imagined while getting work done (there’s a limit to it mostly determined by resisting natural arm sway, you know while working on the computer). Yeah you can move while both programming and playing video games.
I mean, yeah, you maybe are exchanging cardiovascular issues for articulation issues. That’s something, I guess.
Okay I recently did some volunteer work where I had to stand on my feet and be ready. Nothing happened but I needed to be ready. Classic sedentary standing. But it was fun. A lot of fidgeting, some mild moving in place. While my co-workers complained about lower-back pain and fatigue I think I was mostly fine.
So last Friday I challenged myself to stand for the entire workday, or at least never sit down. And it was quite fine. I only got pretty distracted by the discomfort towards the last two hours. When I got home I was tired. But by the end of the day (after a longer work) I felt quite good.
Today I guess I stood at my desk for at least two hours and thirty minutes.
This might work out!
While I imagine you could adapt the same to a sitting posture, you're a lot less likely to be working against your whole body weight. This observation probably applies to (some of) those "standing desk" people, too.