The summer season is filled with music festivals, days putzing round a museum, catching reside music concert events, and occasions that maintain us on our toes. Generally, you’ll find your self doing a variety of standing round for a number of hours. And consider it or not, these lengthy hours in your toes can depart you feeling sore and fatigued. However is standing a exercise?
In keeping with Heather Hamilton, ACSM licensed train physiologist and cofounder of Barpath Health, the reply is: Not a lot.
“Standing for an extended time frame will be bodily demanding and will contribute to elevated vitality expenditure in comparison with sitting or sedentary actions; nevertheless, it’s typically not thought of a proper exercise within the conventional sense,” she says.
When seeking to examine the field of “what makes a exercise,” Hamilton is on the lookout for actions that elevate your coronary heart price and actions that encourage flexibility and mobility, amongst different issues. “Standing alone doesn’t elevate your coronary heart price considerably, nor does it problem your cardiovascular system in the identical approach that cardio workouts like operating, biking, or swimming do,” she says. “Cardiovascular workouts are essential for bettering coronary heart well being, stamina, and total endurance.”
Hamilton additionally notes that standing is simply concentrating on the muscle tissue of your decrease physique with out sufficient resistance or depth to successfully strengthen and construct muscle mass. So, it’s a no-go on true energy constructing.
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Okay, standing is not a exercise, however are there any advantages to doing it for lengthy durations?
Whereas it’s not checking the field for getting that every day health in, your physique can profit for being in your toes repeatedly. “Standing for prolonged intervals primarily engages the muscle tissue of your legs, core, and again to keep up an upright posture and assist your physique weight,” Hamilton says. “This could result in improved muscle tone and elevated calorie burn in comparison with sitting. It will probably additionally present some advantages on your cardiovascular well being by selling blood circulation and stopping extended intervals of inactivity.”
take care of soreness from standing loads
Regardless that it’s not technically a exercise, generally extended standing can make you are feeling sore, so, what provides? Hamilton explains that this may be from an extended listing of causes like muscle fatigue, lack of motion, or occasion poor posture. “The muscle tissue are consistently working to keep up an upright posture and assist your physique weight, which might result in soreness and discomfort,” she says.
Particularly, standing in a single place for an extended time frame—taking a look at you, all-day music competition attendees—restricts blood stream and reduces your physique’s muscle contractions. When this occurs, Hamilton says, your physique will get a buildup of waste merchandise like lactic acid within the muscle tissue, contributing to soreness and stiffness.
You might also be feeling sore after standing due to poor posture or conditioning. Hamilton says that poor posture (like slouching or standing and placing added strain on one leg) whereas standing can put added stress on sure muscle tissue and joints, which makes us really feel sore the following day. “When you’re not accustomed to standing for lengthy intervals, your muscle tissue is probably not conditioned to deal with the extended demand,” she says. “Lack of energy and endurance within the related muscle teams can contribute to soreness.”
Fight these lengthy days of standing by deliberately setting apart time to maneuver round, stretch, and even hydrate. If you understand you will have an extended day forward, get in a lightweight exercise prior.
This is a 19-minute, full-body stretch to get your physique warmed up and able to be in your toes:
