The result may surprise you - people spend estimatedly 114,000 hours (which is 13 years!) at work in their lifetime - except overtime working hours. Most of them sit in front of the desk during their working time. If you are one of the office workers, have you ever thought of improving your working experience, to make it happier, healthier and more efficient?
This is how the idea of ergonomics comes into being. Ergonomic furniture is designed to fit workplaces and reduce the influence of repetitive movements. The concept of ergonomic products helps to boost productivity, reduce fatigue, and drive to a comfy working experience. The standing desk is one of the most popular ergonomic office furniture, which has been widely used by Google, Facebook, Apple, and more in their workplace.
“I like working with a standing desk. I feel more alive and I can take in so much more breath when I'm standing up straight.” said Ginny in Google. So, you may ask, what are the exact benefits of working with a standing desk?
Standing desk helps improve posture
Poor sitting posture is not good for your health. And I am sure you used to observe people sliding forward on the office chair, swayback, keep the head held too high or looking down too much, or sit cross-legged when working in the office. All these postures cause changes in the spine alignment and do harm to the body. However, fewer people can realize that they are sitting with an incorrect posture until their body rings an alarm.
A standing desk helps. Thanks to the height adjustment feature, people can stand straight and avoid such postures as sitting cross-legged.
A standing desk helps reduce back pain
Over 80% of the population suffers back pain sometimes in their lifetime. Back pain is also one of the most common complaints in the office. A study reported by the CDC found that working with a standing desk reduced upper back and neck pain by 54% after 4 weeks (Ref. 13 Trusted Source). Moreover, according to Healthline, using a standing desk helps decrease chronic back pain caused by prolonged sitting.
A standing desk helps maintain your weight
Compared with sitting, standing burns 8 calories per hour. That may not sound like much, but suppose you stand for an extra 5 hours each day, you would burn 40 more calories than sitting all day. It is not practical to lose weight simply by standing at work, but it is a great and easy way to help you adopt healthy habits, which has potential benefits. The calorie difference helps lower the risk of diabetes, obesity, and metabolic disease.
Standing while working is good for blood circulation
When you are working in a sitting position without moving the whole day, you don't get the necessary circulation which your body needs. Standing up and walking around for 15 minutes per hour is a good solution. You can stand while working with the height adjustable desk. And if it is necessary, you can get more office furniture such as a desk bike.
Standing desk helps people stay in a good mood
Standing desks appear to have a positive impact on overall well-being. According to a 7-week study at Harvard, researchers found that standing desks can lower feelings of stress and fatigue while improving mood state and positive to mental health.
A standing desk helps boost energy level
Researchers found dramatic energy level differences between people who use standing desks and who are not. Using a standing desk helps your body keep good circulation, reduce neck & back pain, and encourages you to make more movements. After a whole-day-work, your body is likely to feel much more energetic than those who sit all day round.
A standing desk helps improve efficiency
Working while standing is not only beneficial to your body but also has a positive effect on your mental. Based on the research published in the British Medical Journal, experts from Leicester declared standing desks can reduce tiredness among workers and boost productivity. With a height-adjustable workstation, workers are able to better engage with their work. It increases focus and makes people more mindful.
Tim Cook, the Apple chief executive used to describe sitting as “the new cancer”. Indeed, our body is built to move. Standing 15 minutes per hour, people will start feeling the difference; If you want to maximize the outcome, standing 30 minutes per hour and adding on some movement is a nice option. It’s time to take a stand - your body deserves it.