Featured Image Credit: YouTube/FocusedLucas
Topics: YouTube, Social Media, Health, Fitness
Liv Bridge
A man who refused to sit down for just short of a week says the stunt did some pretty strange things to his body.
Lucas Ball, who goes by the name Pigmie @FocusedLucas on YouTube, vowed to take a stand - literally, by refusing to sit down for five days.
The social media star, who boats almost 4 million subscribers, outlined his rules which, fortunately, allowed him to lie down for exactly eight hours to sleep, but meant he had to stand for the remaining 16 hours.
There were some minor exceptions, such as squatting over the toilet and having to drive his car, though he didn't let his backside touch the seat.
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Explaining why he was driven to the stunt in his video, the 34-year-old said: "Prolonged sitting and lack of physical activity have been correlated with obesity and a cluster of obesity-related conditions.
“Sitting for such prolonged amounts of time can result in back pain, spinal dysfunction, joint degeneration, poor posture in the upper back, neck and shoulders, as well as vascular problems in the legs.”
So, what actually happened to his body by the end of the week?
Well, it all started out well as Ball purchased a standing desk to work from, which actually helped him be more productive as it presented little opportunity to 'take a breather and then get distracted,' as he put it.
After work, he tried to stay moving in his mission to distract himself from the creeping feeling of fatigue that started to twinge in his legs and feet.
He watched TV and ate dinner, all while vertical, and incorporated physical exercise that crucially did not involve sitting.
To avoid a comfortable slip into the seat of his car, he also walked wherever he could.
So far, so good. That is until day three.
“It really hit me in the lower legs and feet. I felt very sore and tired, and I felt like my posture while standing was starting to slack,” Ball said. "On top of this, I was also extremely hungry."
Though at least munching away served a greater purpose - to distract him from the pain.
"Maybe I was hungry from burning extra calories, but one thing I noticed is that when I was eating, it took my mind off of standing up," he said. "And partially for this reason, I constantly ate throughout the entire day.”
The only time he could find some relief was getting some shut eye, however, even this had its drawbacks as his legs were so sore from standing all day that he couldn't get comfy.
As a result, Ball was forced to axe the challenge on day five.
By the end of it, he said his posture took a hit, with his upper back more rounded into a slouching position, and on top of all the joint-ache in his knees and hip, he gained a pound on the scale, probably from all the eating.
Yet there was one silver lining in the whole thing.
“It looks like I’m starting to really form this slouched-over position, especially in the upper back,” he continued.
“But on the positive side, it looks like I’m getting back a little bit more curve in my lower spine, which should have been there.”
And despite chowing down so often, the YouTuber said he noticed his digestion was 'faster and smoother' and he was considerably more productive at work.
Needless to say, don't try this one at home, particularly as experts warn prolonged standing can pose several serious health risks, from fatigue and lower back and leg pain to cardiovascular problems.