INTRODUCTION
When you reach the office in the morning, you sit in front of your office desk and get up from there when the office time ends? Right? Don’t you get tired of sitting all the time? Also, do you notice that this has affected your body by increasing your weight? But what else can be done? Well, nowadays standing desks have gained popularity. Not only it helps in managing weight and health issues but also increases productivity! Let us know what a standing desk is and what its benefits are.
STANDING DESK
As the name indicates, it’s a desk you work on but while standing! Our bodies are made to walk, run and not only sit. These desks are also known as height-adjustable desks or sit-stand desks. You can buy these desks or can even make yours by just keeping some book or stool below your laptops/computer so that its height is increased. Isn’t that a great idea? To your surprise, research has been done on this and it has been found out that while you are sitting you lose about 80 calories per hour and while you standing you lose 88 calories per hour.
TIPS FOR USING STANDING DESK
There is always a right way to use things so that maximum benefit is obtained. Let us look at some tips that can help us to gain maximum benefit from the use of a standing desk:
1. Keep the balance between sitting and standing.
This means don’t sit for too much as it can affect your health and also don’t stand for too much as it can affect your leg muscles and other related issues. Thus it is suggested to sit for 1 hour and stand for 1 hour or keep the ratio to 2:1 which means sit for 2 hours and stand for 1 hour.
2. Make sure the screen of your computer/ laptop and the standing table are at a correct height
A proper height is when your elbow is 90 degrees from the floor. For the height of the laptop, the top of the screen is equal to your eye level. Just be sure that your neck is neither too down nor too up while working in a standing desk base. The height of the desk and laptop is important as it helps in making you comfortable while working.
3. Prefer using an armrest while working at a standing desk
A soft padding or surface area that attaches to your desk is known as an armrest. It helps in reducing the pressure on the wrist that controls the mouse. There have been many studies done that prove that using an armrest can reduce the risk of developing neck and shoulder problems.
4. Watch the position of your hands and mouse.
It is proved and also observed by many people that if you are working for long hours on the computer you tend to have pain in your wrists. Therefore, you must watch and correct your wrist position when you are sitting or standing. The best posture of the wrist, while you are standing, must be slightly more stretched (tilted upwards) than when sitting. Always maintain your keyboard and mouse at the same level and your wrists straight when typing.
BENEFITS OF STANDING DESK
Standing desks are seen in many workplaces. The following are the benefits of the desk:
- Lowers the chance of weight gain
So, when you sit and work, you tend to gain more weight, but on the contrary when you stand and work you tend to lose more calories than sitting.
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Reduce blood sugar level
According to a study if you stand and work your blood sugar level is reduced. If you stand for about 3 hours after having your lunch, the blood sugar level will be reduced by 43%.
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Other benefits:
A standing desk can help in reducing or controlling back pains, heart disease, and early death (yes you read that right!)
CONCLUSION
What do you think? Isn’t a standing desk an amazing invention? Their popularity is increasing day by day. Standing desk helps in control back pains, heart diseases, obesity, sugar level and burns your calories.
But standing desks also have side effects! They are difficult to use and cause problems if not used properly. Like, if you suddenly switch from sitting to standing all day, you can experience pain in your back, leg, or foot. So, it is suggested to take little steps, you can start standing for 30 to 60 minutes a day and steadily increase it. Don’t set alarms for standing up and sitting down as this can disturb your flow of work and concentration. Avoid wearing high heels or any other shoe that can make you uncomfortable while standing. But it’s time to take a stand! What do you guys say?
