San Fransisco, CA
How to enhance the health and wellness of employees at the workplace is an ongoing subject of debate. Some discussions consider whether or not a particular organization should invest in corporate wellness programs to boost productivity while others think about specific mechanisms in the workplace, such as standing versus sitting desks.
Recent studies have shown that reducing sitting time to 3 hours each day can increase the American lifespan by two years. There is now a wide variety of modern ergonomic desks that are adjustable so employees can easily go from standing to sitting in a matter of seconds. While it’s not even ideal to only stand throughout the day, keeping a 70/30 ratio between standing and sitting has been shown to decrease risk associated with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature death.
Is It Worth Standing For?
The Advantages of Standing Desks
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Weight loss
You can burn up to 1,000 calories from standing at your desk for a few hours every afternoon in a week. Studies have also indicated that using a standing desk while working can reduce blood sugar spikes, especially after lunch.
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Improves your heart health
The greater the time spent on sitting, the more likely it is to develop the risk of heart disease.
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Reduces back discomfort
Participants in a recent study experienced 32% relief from lower back pain after using standing desks for several weeks. A similar study reported by the CDC detected a 54% reduction in upper back and neck pain after four weeks by using a modern sit-stand desk.
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Boosts your energy levels
A seven-week study conducted on participants working on standing desks revealed less fatigue and stress compared to those sitting for the entire work period. 87% of people using standing desks noted greater vigor and stamina throughout the day.
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Enhances productivity
A study was conducted on 60 young office workers who were asked to use a standing desk for four hours. There was no shown impact of standing on typing errors or speed.
Texas Health Science Center even measured the productivity of people using sitting desks over 6 months and found that employees who used standing desks were more productive than the people who were sitting at their desks.
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Proper Ergonomics
Let’s not forget proper ergonomics. Both feet should be grounded on the floor, monitor should be eye level, keyboard and mouse should be close to the body and at an angle below or equal to 90*. An anti fatigue mat is a great tool to to add to the work set up as well.
Here are a few standing desks we recommend:
