Do you have a standing desk? If not, are you considering buying one soon?
Why are standing desks so popular
Standing desks may seem like the latest workplace fad but they are not a new idea and have been around a long time. In recent years studies into their use found that they were beneficial and improved workers day to day productivity.
There are many different designs/models of standing desk that you will be spoilt for choice, if you have dark colours you can even have custom desks made to suit your needs. If you already have a normal desk and don’t want to fully upgrade just yet or can’t afford to buy a new desk right away you can use a standing desk converter to turn an old desk into a standing desk – this is a good compromise if you are worried that a standing desk might not work for you or your workers too.
Reasons why you should use a standing desk include
There are many reasons why a standing desk is a good investment. A standing desk can help…
Improve your posture
Sitting at a desk for long periods of time is not good for you. If you don’t have an ergonomic desk and chair it can lead to bad posture. Over time this will lead to you being in pain and uncomfortable both at work and in your everyday life too. I spend much of my working week using a laptop sitting on my knee. I often find that by the end of the day, my back and ribs ache due to being hunched over or slouched. The same can happen when you are sitting at a desk too. By standing up to work your spine is aligned better giving you a better posture.
Improve your health
We all know that being sedentary is not good for us at all. If you are inactive, you are at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancer and many other health ailments in later life. When you are standing up it’s easier to breathe meaning you get more air into your lungs and around your body.
Help with your circulation
As you are standing up you are moving about more even without realising it. This is great for your circulation. If you sit at a desk, it is recommended that you take breaks regularly to stretch your legs. Just like when on a long haul flight, you need to break up the time that you are sitting still. Because you are already stood up you don’t need to take breaks as often.
Help you get your steps in
As you are moving more due to being stood you will lose calories all day long without even trying. Although you probably won’t lose a lot of weight just by using a standing desk it can help you a little. If you wear a step counter whilst working, you will see that throughout the day your steps increase gradually this will help you achieve the recommended 10000 steps we should all be walking daily. Movement is important to keeping our muscles in good shape and it helps keep our metabolism in sync.
Improve your productivity
It may sound silly that standing up to work makes you more productive, but it’s true. Did you know that when we stand our body releases endorphins, which increases the oxygen flow to our brains. This helps us focus on the task at hand and helps us perform better.
Above are just 5 reasons why a standing desk is beneficial to individuals in the workplace or in a home office. I hope you found them useful and if you are thinking about buying a new desk I hope this has helped in your decision making.
If you are planning to get a new standing desk, make sure you ease yourself into using it. If you go from sitting down all day to suddenly standing up all day you may find that your body hurts and you may develop back, foot and leg pains. You might find that using it for 30 minutes at a time every few hours a couple of days/weeks and gradually increase the amount of time you use it so that your body gets used to standing for long periods of time. Remember a standing desk won’t replace your exercise routine but it will help.
Do you have a standing desk already or are you planning to purchase one in the future? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.