6 Benefits of Standing Desks
Thinking about getting a standing desk? Are you worried it will be a fad like your Tamagotchi pet or your beloved Furby (R.I.P. Sprinkles)? Luckily for
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The topic of standing desks has long been on my list of articles to present to my readers, but as luck would have it I was approached by the folks over at www.painlessmovement.com. They are a health and fitness website that focuses primarily on office ergonomics and workplace health and productivity products.
Mr. Nick Joanes is the wonderful author behind this upcoming article. These guys have done their research on standing desks and that's putting it mildly (i.e. they have reviewed and rated over a 100 desks). So enjoy this article from a true expert in the field!
These days it is more and more common to see offices equipped with standing desks. Even many people who work from home will invest in a standing desk in order to improve the overall ergonomics of their workspace.
The reality is, with 8 or more hours of your day, Monday to Friday, spent behind a desk, it is worth looking for ways to make that experience easier on your body. Overly sedentary lifestyles have been linked to long-term health issues and many musculoskeletal problems too, often caused by poor posture.
Rounding your shoulders, hunching over a laptop at your desk, and long periods of sitting can be, for lack of a better expression, a real pain!
People who work often from a laptop may find something as simple as a laptop stand useful in their day-to-day life, but anyone who is looking to make an ergonomic transformation will want to check out why we think standing desks are the way to go!
People nowadays realize that a standing desk can help with fixing your sore back and neck, but may not realize some of the other more important benefits, so let’s check them out:
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1. Weight Loss
The first and most obvious benefit is weight loss. Now, if you really want to lose weight the real key is to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, as well as a moderate amount of exercise per week - so don’t think that just using a standing desk will get you that 6-pack you’ve always wanted.
However, standing has been shown to burn more
In conjunction with a healthy lifestyle, a standing desk could help you achieve your weight-loss goals even faster.
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2. Reducing Risk of Chronic Disease
The second item on our list is perhaps the most important. When thinking of our health, our cholesterol and heart health should be two of the things we look after the most.
According to a study published by the European Heart Journal, quoted here by Harvard Health, spending less time sitting and more time on your feet can lower blood sugar and cholesterol, which in turn reduces your risk for long-term heart disease.
Even as little as a few hours per day out of your office chair will be doing you a whole world of good. In fact, this is becoming the new preferred method: rather than stand all day with a standing desk, it’s better to use a height adjustable stand to mix things up between sitting and standing.
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3. Decreasing Musculosketal Pain
Standing during the day has the added benefit of helping you work on your posture. Hunched shoulders, neck pain, and lower back pain are some of the most common complaints from office workers.
Also, an often overlooked issue that comes with long periods of sitting are tight hip flexors. This can slowly rotate your pelvis and cause a number of lower back, hip, and knee problems.
Correcting your posture and stretching out your muscles will help to correct the imbalances created from hours of sitting down.
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4. Increased Productivity
Being physically active has the added benefit of making you more mentally active. A study by the University of Leicester even goes as far as to claim that by using a standing desk you will be more productive.
So not only will you be feeling better physically, you will also be more efficient in doing your work!
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5. Increased Adjustablity
A standing desk isn’t only for standing. Although it may sound counter intuitive, an standing desk is actually great for sitting too. Most regular desks are a standard height of 29”, the problem is human beings are anything but standard.
How can a 6’6” person be expected to use the same desk as someone who is 5’ tall?
With a height adjustable standing
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6. Use with other Active Office Products
The last benefit that we really love is the ability to bring in a whole host of ergonomic and active products to increase the level of activity during your regular 9 to 5.
Treadmill desks are a good example of adding extra cardio to your daily routine. Many people love the fact they can do their daily 10,000 steps without having to
Other options include desk ellipticals and under desk peddlers, but these are better used while sitting down.
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Conclusion
I wanted to break up this post into two a part series, for ease of reading. The second part of the series will be out next week. Nick will be giving you his top picks for standing desk for gamers and for desk workers.
Do you have a standing desk you like? If so, let me know below. I'd love to know some of the community favorites.
Thanks for Reading and Game On!