“Sedentary behavior contributes to an interrelated network of increased body fat, altered production of sex hormones, metabolic dysfunction, leptin, adiponectin, and inflammation, encouraging cancer development,” the researchers wrote.

More than two dozen chronic diseases, from diabetes and high blood pressure to back pain and deep vein thrombosis, have been linked to excessive sitting, and fitting in an exercise session isn’t likely to offset excessive sitting’s harmful effects.

It was during the Industrial Revolution, when people moved from agricultural communities to cities, that sedentary behaviors and many of their related health problems became common.

“Once the Industrial Revolution took hold, lethal sitting became inevitable. In the 1800s, factory production lines were invented to diminish the need for a worker to waste time walking. Soon after that, modern offices were developed with the premise that the fewer minutes workers moved during the workday, the less time was wasted, Levine wrote in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

“The 1930s saw the rise of the archenemy—the office chair. Workplace automation and mechanization followed with the introduction of typewriters, Dictaphones, intercoms, and adding machines—all of which diminished movement. By the 1950s, mass-produced and affordable cars came onto the market, and people forewent walking to work and drove.”

His first book, “Becoming a Supple Leopard,” addresses biomechanical inadequacies that might increase your risk of injury. Juliet is a former competitive athlete, CrossFit authority, and co-founder of the healthy movement website Mobility WOD. In 2016, I interviewed Kelly about his book, “Deskbound,” which helped me address some of my own movement challenges. It’s an eye-opening read about why standing is a simple way to radically improve your health.

However, if you’re used to sitting for hours per day, be prepared for a gradual transition and avoid trying to switch to a standing desk “cold turkey.” The Starretts recommend first transitioning to a standing desk with a perching stool and sitting on that for 20 or 30 minutes, then gradually increasing your time.

Be sure your desk is adjusted to the proper height. Also, many people feel more comfortable having something to put a foot on and off, such as a stepstool.

If you don’t have a standing desk, it’s possible to fashion one out of a regular desk by propping up your computer on a box or an overturned wastebasket. Or if you have an island or breakfast bar in your kitchen, use that. If standing isn’t an option, you can reap many similar benefits by getting up from your chair every 20 minutes and taking a two-minute walk. For times when you do sit, “sit with skill,” the Starrett’s said.

This has added benefits for improving balance and posture while working your core muscles and boosting coordination. Beyond this, a transition to more active schools and offices, which promote not only standing but also more daily movement, could have far-reaching public health benefits, according to Levine.

“Offices can incentivize protocols for walking meetings, incentivize leg-based interactions [eg, walk across the office versus e-mail], and install walking tracks or treadmill desks. Active offices not only report improved health but less perceived stress and improved productivity," Levine wrote in Proceedings.

“Schools can be designed to promote active learning, and research demonstrates improvement to health, attentiveness, and educational outcomes. Bright, clean, attractive stairwells with visible prompts promote walking up steps better than do poorly lighted, dirty, dank ones.”

The more you try to incorporate standing and movement into your day, gradually you’ll get used to the idea of standing and will find that you don’t automatically look for a chair the way you used to. You’ll be surprised by how many opportunities you have to move in a day if you start opening your eyes to them.