Health Secretary Matt Hancock says workers should stand at their desks

‘Workers should stand at their desks and be given more breaks to get fitter’, Health Secretary Matt Hancock says

• The Health Secretary said he has a stand-up desk and holds standing meetings
• An average employee is said to burn 50 extra calories per hour while standing 
• Being sedentary increases the risk of obesity, heart disease and types of cancer

Workers should stand at their desks and hold stand-up meetings to increase their exercise levels, the Health Secretary says.

Matt Hancock said he had his own stand-up desk and encouraged standing meetings wherever possible, partly because they did not go on as long.

An average employee burns an extra 50 calories an hour standing at their desk as opposed to sitting or 150 calories if they stand for three hours a day.

This amounts to 750 extra calories a week or 30,000 calories over the course of the year, equivalent to 8lb (3.5 kg) of fat.

Matt Hancock said he had encouraged staff to hold standing meetings wherever possible to save time

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Speaking at the International Society for Physical Activity and Health Congress in London yesterday, Mr Hancock said: ‘Workplaces can make a difference; encouraging breaks, offering standing desks, having standing meetings – which in my experience tend to finish quicker too.

‘Our message should be that movement is medicine.’

Numerous studies have shown that being sedentary increases the risk of obesity and developing type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer and heart disease.

Research published last week, led by experts from Leicester, found NHS workers who use standing desks reported improvements in joint and bone pain, and were less sedentary after using the workstations – cutting their risk of obesity.

Studies have shown that being sedentary, particularly at work, can increase the risk of diabetes

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