The health studies that conclude that people should sit less have always struck me as obvious. But a closer look at the accumulating research reveals something more disturbing: the health hazards of sitting for long stretches are significant even for active people.
許多研究報告指出，減少坐著的時間才能長保健康。對我來說，這已經是顯而易見的常識。然而進一步檢視不斷累積的相關研究後，我們會發現另一個更令人困擾的事實：即使對經常活動的人而言，久坐同樣足以危害健康。

Scientists have determined that after an hour of sitting, the production of enzymes that burn fat in the body declines by as much as 90 percent. Extended sitting slows the body’s metabolism of glucose and lowers the levels of good (HDL) cholesterol. Those are risk factors for developing heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
科學家已認定，維持坐姿一小時之後，負責燃燒體內脂肪的酵素產生量會減少90%之多。久坐會導致身體的葡萄糖代謝作用減緩，同時降低良質膽固醇的濃度。二者都是誘發心臟疾病與第二型糖尿病的風險因素。

“The science is still evolving, but we believe that sitting is harmful in itself,” says Dr. Toni Yancey, a professor of health services at the University of California, Los Angeles.
洛杉磯加大健康服務學教授唐妮‧楊希說：「這方面的科學還在演化。不過我們認為，坐著本身就對健康有害。」

The good news is that when creative capitalism is working as it should, problems open the door to opportunity.
好消息是，如果創造性資本主義如常運作，各種問題適足以開啟機會之門。

Steelcase, the maker of office furniture, offered its first models of height-adjustable desks in 2004. In the last five years, sales of its lines of adjustable desks and the treadmill desk have surged fivefold. Its models for stand-up work range from about $1,600 to more than $4,000 for a desk that includes an actual treadmill. Corporate customers include Apple and Google.
2004年，全球知名辦公家具品牌Steelcase首次推出它的高度可調式辦公桌。過去5年來，它的各款式高度可調型辦公桌及踏步機辦公桌銷售量激增為五倍。Steelcase附有一部真正踏步機的站立型辦公桌售價從1600美元左右至4000多美元不等。訂購的大企業包括蘋果公司與Google。

“It started out very small, but it’s not a niche market anymore,” says Allan Smith, vice president for product marketing at Steelcase.
Steelcase主管產品行銷的副總裁史密斯說：「一開始很少人買。然而它再也不是利基（小眾）市場了。」

In 2009, Daniel Sharkey was laid off from a tool-and-die factory. As a hobby, Mr. Sharkey had designed his own adjustable desk for standing.
2009年，夏基被他服務的工具與模具製造廠解雇。他曾經出於嗜好設計自己使用的站立用調整型書桌。

Today, his company, Ergo Desktop, employs 16 people in Celina, Ohio. Sales of its several models, priced from $260 to $600, have quadrupled in the last year.
今天，他在俄亥俄州希里納經營的Ergo Desktop公司雇用16人，生產多種款調整型書桌，售價從260至600美元，過去這一年裡銷售量就增加了三倍。

Steve Bordley of Scottsdale, Arizona, also designed a solution for himself that became a business. After a leg injury left him unable to run, he gained weight. So he fixed up a desktop that could be mounted on a treadmill. He walked on the treadmill while working on a computer. In six weeks, Mr. Bordley says, he lost 11 kilograms.
住在亞利桑納州史考特斯谷的鮑德利也為自己想出一種解決方法，最後並成為一門生意。他曾因為腿部受傷而無法跑步，體重因此增加。他準備了一張桌面，能夠架在踏步機上。他一邊在踏步機上踩著，一邊以電腦工作。鮑德利說，六個星期內，他就減掉11公斤。

He quit the commercial real estate business and founded TrekDesk in 2007. Sales have grown tenfold from 2008, with several thousand of the desks, priced at $479, now sold annually.
他辭去商業不動產界的工作，2007年創立TrekDesk公司。2008年至今，它的銷售量大增10倍，訂價479美元的辦公桌如今每年可以賣出數千張。

“It’s gone from being treated as a laughingstock to a product that many people find genuinely interesting,” Mr. Bordley says.
鮑德利說：「它最初只是笑柄，如今已成為許多人認為相當有趣的產品。」

Upright workstations were hailed recently by Wired magazine. In its October issue, it chose “Get a Standing Desk” as one of its “18 Data-Driven Ways to Be Happier, Healthier and Even a Little Smarter.”
直立式工作站最近受到「連線」雜誌肯定。它在10月號的報導中，把「選用一張站立型辦公桌」列為「活得更快樂、更健康、甚至更聰明的18種數據驅動的方法之一」。

Several staff members have become converts themselves in the last few months.
過去幾個月，該雜誌的數名員工相繼身體力行。

“And we’re all universally happy about it,” Thomas Goetz, Wired’s executive editor, wrote in an e-mail – sent from his new standing desk.
「連線」總編輯高茨從他自己最近採用的站立型辦公桌發出電子郵件說：「它讓我們皆大歡喜。」

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/business/stand-up-desks-gaining-favor-in-the-workplace.html

2012-12-18/聯合報/G9版/UNITEDDAILYNEWS 陳世欽譯 原文參見紐時週報七版下