Dr. Anne Fenety has been standing at her computer for many years and says she'll never sit at her desk again.

What is it about the workplace that is making people sit inactive and for long periods of time? The answer is your computer.

“There we are, for long periods of time, fixed on the screen, we forget to move because the computer commands our attention,” says Fenety.

Dr. Fenety is the director at Dalhousie's School of Physiotherapy. She says workers tend to sit and stay inactive for longer periods of timemore than ever before.

“Twenty minutes is the maximum anybody should sit, an hour is the outer-extreme limit,” says Fenety.

That's because after 20 minutes our bodies enter a resting-state and our metabolic rate begins to drop, creating long-term health risks.

“Your body is much more poised to convert energy into useful work when you're standing compared to when you're sitting,” kinesiology professor says David Westwood. “Sitting, our body knows we're doing it to rest and recover, so it tips the body into an energy conserving mode, which is really not good for things like obesity, development of type two diabetes and heart disease.”

Westwood and Fenety recommend a sit-to-stand-deskas a way to create healthy habits at work.

“It doesn't force you to stand, because the work station isn't only in a high position, you can lower it, take sitting breaks, take standing breaks, get a little bit of both worlds,” says Westwood.

However, too much of a good thing can also be bad. Standing on the job for hours on end isn't good for you either. It's important to balance both.

“Essentially, if you just do a few twirls, take a few side steps back-and-forth, in other words just encourage the body to not think it's gone to bed,” says Fenety.

Sit-to-stand-desks can come with a hefty-price tag, so if you don't have one Fenety says force yourself to get up. Make sure you're seated a walking distance from printers and recycle bins and walk to a colleague for a chat instead of emailing them.

“If you make people more active, you will reduce their risk of musculoskeletal issues, metabolic disease, cancer, cardio vascular disease - the big four are all reduced by activity,” says Fenety.

Both experts say there are various apps you can download that will remind you to stand every 20 minutes.