A standing desk also referred to as a stand-up desk, is a desk that allows you to stand and work with so much ease. Countless times, it has been proven that taking breaks at intervals to stand and work is a better option than sitting all through the day to work. These are different versions of this desk. A couple of them are adjustable so that you can adjust the height of the desk and alternate between sitting and standing whenever you want to. These desks are referred to as height-adjustable desks or sit-stand desks. A lot of research is ongoing. However, there are several believable pieces of evidence that it appears that using a standing desk can have impressive and correctional benefits for health. It also has the chance of increasing your rate of productivity.
What Are The Health Benefits Of A Standing Desk?
Standing desks have a lot of benefits to human health. However, a part of this theory is still undergoing research. At the very least, the ergonomics of a standing desk can go a long way in preventing and correcting the harm that has been caused by sitting too much. There are several reasons as to why to purchase a standing desk. A few of them include:
Standing Lowers Your Risk of Obesity and Weight Gain
The ultimate cause and factor behind weight gain and obesity are taking in more calories than you burn. This ends up being stored in your body and eventually becomes detrimental. Conversely, when you burn more calories than you take in, it ultimately results in weight loss.
There is no doubt that exercise is the most effective way you can quickly burn down calories. However, by simply choosing to stand instead of sitting, you can end burning a couple of calories which can also benefit your health.
The amount of calories that are burned when you stand instead of sitting has been found to be over 170 when compared to sedentary work. It is no news that a job can be highly demanding, and it leaves you little or no time to hit the gym, but you can burn these calories with standupdesk.org even while still working. By purchasing a good, reliable, and strong standing desk, you end up burning at least 1000 extra calories each week from simply standing at your desk each afternoon. This caloric difference could be one of the significant reasons why obesity and metabolic diseases have been strongly linked to sitting for too long.
Using A Standing Desk May Lower Blood Sugar Levels
This has to be one of the most exciting facts I have encountered in a while. Generally speaking, the more your blood sugar levels increase after meals, the worse your health becomes
This is exceptionally true for those with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. For example, a small study was conducted on ten office workers. After standing for 180 minutes after lunch, the spike in blood sugar was reduced by a whopping 43% compared to their counterparts who sat for the same amount of time. In addition, both groups took the same amount of steps, which indicates that the smaller spike was due to standing rather than the other physical movements around the office.
Another study which involved about 23 people working in an office, found that constantly alternating between standing and sitting every 30 minutes all through work hours reduced blood sugar spikes by 11.1% on average. Thus, the harmful effects of sitting immediately after meals could explain why excessive sedentary time is linked to a whopping 112% greater risk of type 2 diabetes.
Standing Desks Reduce Back Pain
Back pain is a very common complaint amongst office workers who sit all day. Standing desks and workstations are known to reduce pain in the back, waist, and shoulders. Several studies have been carried out using employees with long-term back pain to determine if standing desks could improve this. Participants reported a 32% improvement in lower back pain after several weeks of using standing desks. Additionally, after removing the sit-stand desks, a couple of these improvements reversed within 2 weeks.
Standing May Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
The idea that standing is good for your heart health was first proposed in 1953. A study found that bus conductors who stood all day had half the risk of heart disease-related deaths against the drivers who sat all through the day. Since then, scientists have understood the effects of sitting on heart health, with prolonged sedentary time thought to increase the risk of heart disease by up to 147%.
Sitting all through the day is highly harmful to your health. Research has found out that if you sit all day, even exercising aggressively for one hour cannot undo the harm that has been done. Beyond all reasonable doubt, spending more time on your feet is very beneficial to your general health.
Published on Holr Magazine