Today, modern workplaces are no strangers to gimmicks such as indoor table tennis, foosball, mini golf, etc. functioning as a way to give employees some well-deserved relief from stress and anxiety. While workplaces having a laid-back kind of environment are seen as a more suitable way for employees to boost their productivity and focus, there's one other trend that's taking over the corporate world – a standing desk. Yup, modern employees are skipping sitting for a prolonged duration of time in favour of working standing up. And in this article, we'll talk about pretty interesting reasons why ergonomic desks and chairs have become a staple in the modern workplace.
5 Incredible Reasons Why Height Adjustable Standing Desks Are Taking the Corporate World by Storm
1. Helps You With Your Weight Loss Goals
You'd be surprised to know that working standing up can easily burn up to 100-200 calories. This is significantly higher than working sitting down (which is 60-120+ calories). Apart from helping you gradually lose weight, there's another excellent reason why you should use a standing desk, and it's because working standing up puts you in a state of wellness mode.
It completely resets your mindset, optimising your productivity by allowing you to walk around or near your desk, and completing your daily tasks while stretching your legs and back. Plus, ergonomic desks are an excellent way to incorporate some workouts at the workplace as well. You can easily take some free weights with you and perform squats for 2-3 minutes every other hour.
2. Great for Correcting Your Posture
Another reason why you should use a height-adjustable desk is that it can help gradually bring your natural posture back. You've been sitting hunched and slouched at your computer for several hours every day and for years, probably. Getting a standing office desk is going to help you keep your screen at eye level and your back straight while you're busy typing away.
Plus, an ergonomic desk is also going to help you bend your arms at a healthy (100-degree) angle, which is going to automatically place your wrists in a more comfortable position. All of these things are going to help you get that natural arch in your back, decompressing your spine and improving blood circulation.
3. Helps Minimise Back Pain
Look, you don't have to contend with back pain and poor posture that has been caused by sitting for long hours at work. You shouldn't accept it as just another eventuality in life. Especially when there's a pretty easy way to get rid of these problems. It doesn't matter whether you have a home office or go to work, a standing desk can help significantly enhance your lumbar health and help decompress your spine, gradually alleviating your chronic back pain.
According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, it was determined that every eighth individual out of ten, experiences minor to severe back pain throughout their lives. So, to avoid worsening your back pain, try to correct your posture by using a height-adjustable desk.
4. Great for Your Blood Circulation
If you look at it from a broader perspective, the human body was essentially designed to move and not live a sedentary lifestyle. That's why walking, running, standing, etc. all these things help enhance your leg and back muscle development. Not to mention, walking and running can also drastically improve your core strength and help you maintain your balance.
Moreover, sitting for a long duration of time without stretching or standing up may also lead to the development of blood clots in your legs. That's what you're essentially feeling during a long flight when your legs begin to go numb, and you have to stand up or at least walk to get them to function optimally. The worst case scenario is a blood clot, which may also lead to a serious health condition known as DVT (deep vein thrombosis) where your body stops circulating blood to your heart.
So, when you start working standing up, you're actively engaging your leg muscles, helping improve blood flow and flexibility. You'd also be surprised to know that in some studies, people who sat for longer periods were at a bigger risk of suffering a cardiac arrest.
Bottom Line
In all, it's not that sitting is dangerous, it's just that sitting for 7-8 hours every day can be detrimental to your health. That's why it is recommended that you use a standing desk to alternate between sitting and standing to boost your posture and overall well-being.
