What is the 20 8 2 rule?

Written by: Shelli Stevenson, PT DPT

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&#;Sitting is the new smoking.&#; &#;Sitting is killing you!&#; &#;Sitting is dangerous.&#; Recent reports clearly state prolonged sitting is dangerous and can cause early death. We live in a modern world with advanced technology which allows us to drive in cars, take public transportation, work from our computers, and make calls. We no longer have to walk to work, walk to chat with another coworker or friend, or work to gather or hunt our food.

The most logical and most common change for many of you has been the evolution of the standing desk! Now instead of sitting in front of your computer with your forward head, rounded shoulders, and flexed hips you can stand up and facilitate more upright posture, improved breathing, and activate your legs. Definitely a step in the right direction!

A standing desk is a step in the right direction, but not the complete answer to changing your health. A standing desk still allows you to stand in one position for hours on end, not providing the movement and activity your body needs for optimal health.

If you exercise for thirty minutes every day five times a week, you are only spending about 3% of your day being active! It&#;s not possible to cancel out the 8-10 hours you spend sitting or standing at your desk by doing one workout per day.

What is the answer? The answer is more movement throughout the entire day! Here are some of my favorite tips for making activity simple and easy to implement in your day:

1.      Go refill your water bottle every hour.

The company is the world’s best 60 inch electric standing desk supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

2.      Walk for lunch or hold a walking lunch meeting.

3.      Use your or a pedometer to count your steps, shooting for 5,000 to 10,000 per day.

4.      Follow the 20-8-2 rule. Sit for 20 min, stand for 8 min, and move for 2 min.

5.      Walk to talk to a co-worker instead of , walk to the mailbox, walk to the neighbors, park far away from the mall or grocery.

6.      Set a timer or alarm to remind you to stand up, stretch, or move every hour while at work.

Make sure you have your sitting or standing desk set up the most efficiently for you for the time you do have to spend at your desk. Below are two diagrams of the basic principles for proper ergonomics for your sitting or standing desk. 

Abstract

Currently, office workers spend most of their time sitting while in their work environment. This prolonged sitting can result in negative health effects reducing office workers` productivity. While standing-based workstations can offer a beneficial approach to reducing sedentary behavior, long-term standing can also result in negative health outcomes. To obtain the proper balance, Alan Hedge, Professor of Ergonomics at Cornell University, has recommended a working pattern in which every half hour individuals sit for 20 minutes, stand for 8 minutes, and move around for at least 2 minutes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effect of using this &#;20-8- 2&#; pattern at an active workstation on measures of cognition, attention, short-term memory, task performance, and productivity. Two different experiment conditions wherein participants used the :20-8-2&#; pattern at both seated and active workstations were designed and tested by a within-group examination in order to compare an individual`s ability to perform batteries of cognitive and performance tests in each environment. At the seated workstation, participants sat during each of the test sections. At the active workstation, participants performed the &#;20-8-2&#; pattern, sitting for 20 minutes, standing for 8 minutes, and walking on a treadmill at 2.5 mph for 2 minutes. The experiment consisted of four sections that included two different test batteries, one performance test battery that measured productivity via three repetitive sections at the two different workstations, and a cognitive test battery that measured attention and short-term memory via three sections completed while subjects were in sitting position. Participants` energy expenditure was also tracked during all test sessions. The results show that using the &#;20-8-2&#; pattern at an active workstation did not impair task or cognitive performance. However, using the &#;20-8-2&#; pattern over time did seem to improve task performance. Also, the &#;20-8-2&#; pattern at the active workstation did not appear to decrease attention span or short-term memory, or cause an increase in stress or musculoskeletal discomfort. In addition, this study found significant differences in energy expenditure between subjects using the &#;20-8-2&#; pattern at the active workstation versus completing the tests at the seated workstation. This study provides evidence that using an active workstation may be beneficial as a means of increasing total energy expenditure and decreasing sedentary time.

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