Are standing desks the latest trend in office furniture? Are office ergonomics really that important? Let’s look at the facts and you can decide for yourself.
Standing desks: keeping up with office furniture trends
The average office worker works for 8 hours a day and remain in full time employment for an average of 50 years. Meaning that the average number or working hours in the average lifetime is close to 90,000 hours. Yes, 90,000 hours of sitting at your desk straining your neck, not moving and trying to keep your eyes on the computer screen. Do we not owe it to ourselves to make these 90,000 hours of sitting on a desk chair as less of a strain on our bodies as possible?
If we continue to sit for this length of time every day we are at risk of diabetes and heart disease. I don’t know about you but to me this does not seem like a positive.
Standing desks have scientifically been proven to have the following health benefits:
- Standing lowers the risk of weight gain and obesity – whilst standing for an afternoon you could be burning off 170 calories more than if you were sitting at your desk. That’s almost 1000 extra calories burned a week just by standing.
- Standing desks appear to reduce back pain – some studies have been done on employees with long-term back pain. A study published by the CDC found that by using a standing desk reduced upper back and neck pain by 54% after 4 weeks.
- Improve energy levels and mood – in a 7 week study 87% participants found they had more energy during the day and far less fatigue. Studies have also found that sitting for long periods of time can increase the risk of both anxiety and depression.
- If standing can improve your mood and energy levels, can it also lead to better productivity?
- Research suggests that reduced time sitting may help you to live longer and reducing sedentary time mental health, physical and metabolic health too.
Do I sense you now all wanting to stand at your desks? I know I will be requesting a height adjustable desk, the facts speak for themselves.
Let us know your opinion on standing desks in the comments below!
Debbie Wilson