Human bodies are not designed for sedentary lifestyles. Sitting for a long time can cause negative repercussions to the body. When sitting in a poorly designed chair - long periods of sitting can result in severe back and neck pain and unhealthy, stiff posture. This improper posture puts a lot of pressure on the spinal discs, which causes a lot of long-term issues.
Movement breaks can help alleviate some of this, but standing for too long can also cause negative health problems. Standing for a prolonged amount of time can result in swelling of the feet and vascular issues.
Picking out a chair for your office is an important decision because you spend a lot of time there. There are solutions to choosing a chair that will benefit your health instead of adversely affecting it.
So, in this article, we will take a look at both active-seating chairs and standard office chairs to help you decide which is the better option for you.
Standard Office Chair
The traditional office chair is not a great option to choose for your office. It promotes bad posture, which leads to back and neck pain. Poor posture can also result in spinal problems, which can severely impact your productivity at work and your overall quality of life.
Remaining sedentary can lower the quality of your mood and is actually linked to depression. Your body and brain want to be active, and denying them of that negatively affects your mood.
Overall, a sedentary lifestyle is bad for your health, mentally and physically. Sitting for too long causes your organs to enter a slow-motion state, except for your pancreas, which deposits insulin into your bloodstream at a higher rate.
Too much sitting leads to a loss in core strength, overall muscle loss, and spinal disc degeneration over time. Luckily, there are other chair options aside from the standard office chair.
Active-Seating Chair
Active-seating chairs allow your body to emulate the movements it makes during standing and walking while in a seated position. People naturally adjust their posture around two to three times each minute while they are standing.
This movement-based seating style is very popular in Europe. Active-seating chairs help to decrease the negative health effects that come with a sedentary job because they allow your body to stay active even while seated.
You can also get all of the benefits of moving around without having to worry about the adverse health effects of standing for too long. Active-seating chairs promote healthy spinal alignment while encouraging your body’s natural need for movement. This increases circulation and energy within the body.
Types of Active-Seating Chairs
There are many different types of active-seating chairs to choose from. You can find the best design that is most suitable for your office and your needs on the FlexiSpot website.
Currently, kneeling chairs are fairly common and place your body in a seated position that slightly mimics kneeling. The chair will allow you to tilt slightly forward, and there is no back support, both of which allow for the core muscles to engage. The knee and hip angle provided by a kneeling chair increase the body’s blood circulation.
Ergonomic chairs are very well-known and can also be extremely comfortable. They typically come with adjustable lumbar support to keep your spine healthy. Ergonomic chairs also tend to have armrests and a headrest to provide much-needed stability for your whole body.
Leaning stools are a neat active-seating option, allowing you to lean forwards towards your desk in a safe manner. The stools offer stability and support while working your core muscles and improving your posture. You do need to be proactive to get benefits from the chair though.
Balance balls are very common and have been used for a while by people who wanted to move away from the standard office chair. They promote upright posture and strengthen your core. Balance balls also improve circulation flow.
Perching stools allow you to remain in a position that is halfway between sitting and standing. This allows your body to work the hip, leg, core, and back muscles.
Saddle chairs provide seating that is similar to riding a horse. Most of them come with adjustable height. These chairs promote healthy circulation because of the angles your hips and knees rest.
Conclusion
A standard office chair is not the best choice when choosing a seat for your office. The sedentary position is bad for your health and posture. It increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues.
Prolonged standing also has adverse health effects and should be avoided. While you can switch between standing and sitting in an office chair, sitting in an active-seating chair offers the best results.
Active-seating is great for your physical and mental health. It keeps your body moving, engages several muscle groups, and allows you to maintain energy levels to keep your mood up. There are so many different active-seating chairs to choose from, so you can easily pick one that is perfect for you.
