Power stance: Three reasons you should stand up right now

Health experts have applauded former Olympian Jane Flemming’s… err… stance on classroom sitting.

Flemming is behind a push to encourage students to do half their lessons on their feet to battle the bulge.

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute boss David Dunstan, who had just finished walking the dog (so he walks the walk, t00), heartily endorsed the push to Ross and John this morning.

“I really applaud Jane for putting this on the agenda,” he said.

“Nearly three-quarters of the time in the classroom is spent sitting, so I guess we need to think about changes to bring that back to a more appropriate amount of sitting throughout the day.”

Professor Dunstan added that dropping children off a short walk from school was also a good option.

“We often see the jostling of the car parks to get the closest car park to minimise the amount of steps that are undertaken,” he said.

Bunso asked the important question: “How much standing do you need to do to burn off a donut?”

The answer: “A hell of a lot.”

Why Professor Dunstan says sitting is no good

• very low energy expenditure
• not much blood flow through the body
• not much use of those very strong leg muscles

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