Squatting and kneeling

A March 2020 study by the University of Southern California said,

• "We tend to think human physiology is adapted to the conditions in which we evolved … So, we assumed that if inactivity is harmful, our evolutionary history would not have included much time spent sitting the way we do today."

• "Even though there were long periods of inactivity, one of the key differences we noticed is that the Hadza [the group studied] are often resting in postures that require their muscles to maintain light levels of activity -- either in a squat or kneeling."

• "Being a couch potato -- or even sitting in an office chair -- requires less muscle activity than squatting or kneeling … Since light levels of muscle activity require fuel, which generally means burning fats, then squatting and kneeling postures may not be as harmful as sitting in chairs."

• “Preferences or behaviors that conserve energy have been key to our species' evolutionary success … But when environments change rapidly, these same preferences can lead to less optimal outcomes. Prolonged sitting is one example."

• "Replacing chair sitting and associated muscular inactivity with more sustained active rest postures may represent a behavioral paradigm that should be explored in future experimental work."

• "Squatting is not a likely alternative  … but spending more time in postures that at least require some low-level muscle activity could be good for our health."