Time for Standing Desks?

Studies show that sitting all day long can shorten our lifespan by at least two years. People who start new desk jobs often notice rapid weight gain as a result of all the sitting around. So why start kids in such unhealthy habits?

According to a new study by Monica Wendel (summarized in Good Education), director of the Center for Community Health Development, and her colleagues at the Texas A & M Health Science Center, first graders can handle the shift from working at traditional sit-down desks to spending more time standing.  In fact, according to Wendel, standing "actually improved attention, on-task behavior, alertness and classroom engagement." 70% of the students never used their desks at all, while the other 30% used desks, but didn't sit at them.