Wellington, March 7 : A new Auckland research has found that typing while standing and moving while working could help workers shed extra pounds and reduce diabetes risk.

Grant Schofield, professor of Public Health at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), has named it his "Goya" policy a.k.a. "Get Off Your Arse".

A review of research looking into sedentary behaviour, co-authored by Schofield, was released in Feb and revealed workers who moved as they worked could not only shed up to 2kg a year but would also have better posture.

"Weight goes on under the radar, so it is a way to keep the weight off under the radar."

Schofield conducted a preliminary study of four workers using a commercially available height-adjustable desk and measured the amount of energy used standing, sitting and lying down while working.

His study found that a worker standing and typing used 84 calories an hour, 13percent more than someone sitting and typing (73 calories/hour), and 16percent more than a person who is lying down (71 calories/hour), reports Stuff.co.nz. The extra calories burnt, combined with the increase in movement for standing workers, meant their weight would drop rather than increase during the year.

According to Schofield, standing for long periods can even avert the production of the enzymes that trigger type 2 diabetes.