Stand Up For Yourself!

Sitting is becoming an increasingly tough cycle to break with new technologies making everything that much easier for us to do nothing. Today we spend more time sitting than we do anything else. The average person will spend more than 9.3 hours a day sitting, which is even more than the average person spends sleeping. Many people spend all day sitting at a desk, and instead of walking we are opting for driving everywhere we go. Then, after a long day we get home and continue sitting at our computer or on the couch in front of the television.

For office workers sitting for long periods of time leads to a large number of health concerns, including back pain, RSI, obesity, metabolic syndrome, increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat and abnormal cholesterol levels. Too much sitting can also increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

While computer work is an ever-growing necessity in today’s business world, it doesn’t mean you need to be chained to your chair all day. Sit-stand desks are becoming more and more popular in workplaces. Researchers have recommended office workers should stand as well as sit for periods throughout the workday to help prevent the types of health conditions mentioned above.

Many people feel that standing rather than sitting at a computer would feel too odd and not work for them. We asked a client’s staff member how she felt about this new method of working:

“I decided to try a standing desk for the health reasons you mentioned. When I sat at a desk all day, I found that by mid-afternoon I sometimes had disgestive/stomach aggravation. Although I liked the idea, I was a bit sceptical that I would be able to adjust to standing at a computer. So, I was VERY surprised to find that it was immediately comfortable! Not only did my rumbly tummy go away but I also found that it was quite good for when I was trying to be creative, because I could move around freely (do a little walk while I was thinking) and then move easily back to the computer. I’d never go back to sitting all day; the only thing I have to remember now is to sit down from time to time!”