Benefits of Standing Desks
Why would you choose a standing desk over sitting for eight or more hours?
Many of us spend our entire workday sitting and then go home to relax in front of the computer or television.
With the average person sitting for 13 hours a day, not including sleeping, and being active for only 3 hours a day, one has to wonder the effect sitting can have on the body.
When We Decided To Investigate How Sitting Can Impact The Body, The Answer Was Shocking!
Excessive sitting is critically not good for your health and well-being.
People who sit a lot every day have an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and early death.
Also, sitting all the time burns very few calories, and many cases have linked it to weight gain and obesity.
This is a major problem for office workers because they sit down for most of the day.
The body reacts to sitting almost immediately and causes the following changes:
- The electrical activity in the muscles begin to slow down
- The body's calorie-burning plummets to 1 calorie per minute
- Blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels rise as cellular controls shut down
- Your blood pressure goes up
- After only 3 hours, dilation in the arteries has reduced by 50%, decreasing circulation
- The bowels begin to slow down and lead to constipation
- Spinal compression begins to cause pain and create poor posture
- The decrease in circulation leads to less blood flow and oxygen in the brain, reducing alertness and mood.
- After 2 weeks of sitting for more than 6 hours a day, cholesterol and triglyceride levels rise, leading to increased risk of weight gain.
But the effects of chronic sitting can simply be reversed by regular exercise, right?
Daily exercise does not counteract the effect of too much sitting just as exercise can't completely undo the effects of too much smoking!
After a year of sitting for more than 6 hours a day, studies done on women show a 1% decrease in bone mass every year. After sitting 6 hours a day for over 10 years, the risk of dying from heart disease increases by 64%, the risk of prostate/breast cancer increases by 30%, can lead to 7 fewer years of disease-free life.
The way to reduce the effects of too much sitting is to spend more time standing!
The body is continually adapting to changes it's an environment, and even if you've spent the majority of your life sedentary, it is never too late to reverse the damage.
Less than two minutes after standing up from an extended sit, blood flow begins to increase, the muscles and brain begin to get fueled once again, and the metabolic rate increases by about 20%. The cellular systems responsible for regulating blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol also begin to come back online.
Many people have begun to use standing desks to counteract the ill-effects of sitting at a computer all day.
Many modern versions are adjustable so that you can change the height of the desk and alternate between sitting and standing.
Although research is still in early stages, it does appear that using a standing desk can have impressive benefits for health. It may also increase productivity.
At the very least, using this type of desk can partly negate the harmful effects of sitting too much.
However, reaping the benefits of a standing desk doesn't mean being forced to stand for 13 hours at a time!
When switching over to a standing desk, it is recommended to alternate between standing and sitting throughout the day to avoid getting tired legs.
Our line of Height-Adjustable Standing Desks and Standing Desk Converters are perfect for this, as they allow you to change the height on your desk with ease from sitting to standing. To up the ante further, our amazing selection of Leaning Seats allow you to engage core muscles and work at a 120° angle instead of the 90° sitting position that weakens posture and shuts down the body.
Find the perfect desk and ergonomic seat to support your health and productivity goals today!