With the increased focus on working from home, standing desks may seem like all the rage. Here are a few reasons why they might just be the perfect investment for you.
Let’s take a closer look!
Lowers the Risk of Weight Gain and Obesity
We all understand that weight gain results from consuming more calories than we are burning. This leads to the conclusion that more calories burned will also decrease the risk of weight gain at present and in the future.
Bodies burn calories over a period of time, but the exact quantity of calories burned can be enhanced by doing higher-energy tasks – sitting down at a desk is not a high-energy task.
However, standing at our desks burns more calories than sitting and seems like an easy way to reduce the risk of weight gain. Standing up at your desk can burn up to 30,000 extra calories per year! This works out to be about 100-200 calories burned per hour, which may not seem like a huge number - but a little goes a long way. A few hours of work a day, coupled with standing up throughout the entire duration, will all add up at the end of the month.
Additionally, being in a standing position can be more conducive to other activities that are beneficial for your health. When sitting down, we may be inclined to remain that way or not move when eating. Being in a standing position makes us more likely to move around, take a walk for lunch or do some general exercise by loitering around our workspace.
Improves Posture
Working at a standing desk can be more conducive to a healthier posture than constantly sitting down. A standing desk, such as the E7 available at Flexispot, allows you to customise the height of your desk to match your natural eye level. Not only does this make it possible to position the monitor correctly, but it also ensures it remains a healthy distance away (around 20 inches from the face).
Having this correct standing position can also help to improve wrist placement when using a keyboard. Ideally, your hands should be hovering slightly above the keyboard rather than resting downwards against your desk. Failure to do so could result in carpal tunnel syndrome or a pinched nerve in the wrist.
An additional benefit of getting your hands in the correct position is an increase in your typing speed. We often position ourselves incorrectly to maximise the productivity of our typing, so getting your hand position right will also boost your productivity.
Improves Circulation
Blood circulation is hugely beneficial to multiple health areas. For example, improving blood flow in our lower legs can reduce the chance of oedemas, blood clots and large swollen veins.
Sitting at a desk, on the other hand, can increase the likelihood of all of these. Standing desks allow us to keep blood flowing freely from head to toe, improve our leg muscles, and boost our core strength.
An increase in blood circulation can also improve our concentration over long periods of time. More blood moving through the body means energy levels are picked up, and therefore our ability to focus increases. Furthermore, greater circulation can improve our mood - making us more positive and therefore more energised when we’re finally released from our offices.
Reduces Back Pain
Back pain is often the most commonly stated problem affecting office-based workers in the UK. Being sedentary for an extended period of time can result in your spine and neck taking undue stress. A chair, like the BS1B, offers back support that can reduce the strain; however a standing desk offers added benefits surplus to what a chair provides.
Breaking up our routine of sitting down can significantly reduce the risk of developing back pain. A standing desk allows you to rotate between a sitting and standing position, giving you the best of both worlds. 54% of office workers said they felt a reduction in upper, lower and neck pain when using a standing desk.
Blood Sugar Levels
Heightened blood sugar levels can have an adverse effect on your health, so anything we can do to bring it down will prove beneficial for our long term health. A report in Scientific American argued that if we were to replace the time spent sitting at work with either slow walking or standing,, our average blood sugar level would drop throughout the day.
All it would take is 2-3 hours standing per day to have a noticeable effect on average blood sugar levels – something that will come naturally when working at a standing desk.
The same report also highlights that using a standing desk after lunch is the most valuable time as it can reduce blood sugar levels, ease digestion and allow for gentle exercise immediately after taking on calories.
Closing Thoughts
From blood sugar to posture, these are five core reasons why you should invest in a new standing desk. So, get standing, keep working and you’re sure to see the benefits imminently!
