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5 part of it is the easiest way of doing so. Here's a list of some of the benefits scientists have found so far. Reduced Risk of Obesity Levine's research began as an investigation into an age-old health question: why some people gain weight and others don't. He and colleagues recruited a group of office workers who engaged in little routine exercise, put them all on an identical diet that contained about i000 more calories than they'd been consuming previously and forbid them from changing their exercise habits. But despite the standardized diet and exercise regimens, some participants gained weight, while others stayed slim. Eventually, using underwear stitched with sensors that measure every subtle movement, .. .�. ... the participants who weren't gaining weight were up and walking around, on average, 2.25 more hours per day, even though all of them worked at (sitting) desks, and no one was going to the gym. "During all of our days, there are opportunities to move around substantially more," Levine says, mentioning things as mundane as walking to a colleague's office rather than emailing them, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Failing to take advantage of these constant movement opportunities, it turns out, is closely associated with obesity.And research suggests that our conventional exercise strategy—sitting all day at work, then hitting the gym or going for a run—"makes scarcely more sense than the notion that you could counter a pack-a-day smoking habit by Jogging," as j a it��a s� f a °�I�:�n ua 1 1:�i b° b %�,�� b II :...Nc,^d t) o r A, ,��i r)i c,s. The key to reducing the risk of obesity is consistent, moderate levels of movement throughout the day. Scientists are still investigating why this might be the case. The reduced amount of calories burned while sitting (a ��:A a� H °..a..d;;;��71..E 1111.�...I..C] that standers burn, on average, 50 more calories per hour) is clearly involved, but there may also be metabolic changes at play, such as the body's cells becoming less responsive to insulin, or sedentary muscles releasing lower levels of the enzyme.I..�,12.n..?'.1,.)i.'.n..�.:��.�..�...�.....1..',11.)...°..a.�.I Of course, all this specifically points to danger of sitting too much, not exactly the same as the benefit of standing. But Levine believes the two are closely intertwined.