If you're looking for a simple way to burn more calories each day, you're going to want to write a thank you note to the researchers at the University of Chester who discovered that it's as easy as getting off your butt for three hours every day.

After examining data showing that, in general, we all spend a whopping 12 hours a day sitting, researchers wanted to "see what would happen if we took a group of people who normally spend their day sitting in an office and ask them to spend a few hours a day on their feet instead."

Why?

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"Prolonged sitting has not only been linked to problems with blood glucose control, but also a sharp reduction in the activity of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which breaks down blood fats and makes them available as a fuel to the muscles. This reduction in enzyme activity leads to raised levels of triglycerides and fats in the blood, increasing the risk of heart disease."

So, they had test subjects stand for at least three hours during their work day, each decked out with heart rate and glucose monitors. The results were readily apparent; those who stood had higher heart rates (which equals more calories burned) and, after eating, their blood glucose levels returned to normal more quickly than those who wiled away their hours at their desks.

The upshot? If you stand instead of sit for just three extra hours each day, you'll burn 50 calories more an hour or, are you standing?, a whopping 30,000 over the course of a year.

What are some of the ways you think you can incorporate more standing into each day in order to help reap these health benefits? [BBC]

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