The Top 5 Benefits of Standing Desks

The Top 5 Benefits of Standing Desks

If you're like most people, you sit at a desk all day, and let’s face it. It's not good for your heart, your back, or your spirit. It's no secret that modern work environments can be a little sedentary. Whether it's sitting at a desk all day, or sitting in an office chair for a few hours every day, our career choices have contributed to a sedentary lifestyle for many. Luckily, there are ways to combat this, and one way is through the use of a standing desk during your workday.


There's a growing trend among the workforce to get rid of their chairs and sit at a standing desk. The benefits are pretty obvious: you improve your health, avoid back strain and bad posture, and get more work done in less time. Standing desks are the trend of the future, and it's easy to see why. You can balance between standing and sitting, focus better, and feel much better at the end of the workday as a result. After all, when you're sitting at your desk for 8 hours a day, it's going to have some negative consequences.


Here are the top reasons why you should consider getting one:

 

1. Increased productivity throughout your day


Switching to a standing desk can make you more productive. No matter if you’re working on a big presentation or tallying up your monthly expenses, the ability to switch between sitting and standing can have a big impact on how productive you are. In fact, a study done in 2016 found that employees at a call center who used a standing desk were 45 percent more productive than their seated colleagues on a daily basis.

 

2. Standing burns more calories than sitting


While sitting can burn between 60 to 130 calories an hour (depending on factors such as your height and weight) - standing can burn anywhere from 100 to 200 calories an hour! Think of how fast that adds up. You can rack up anywhere between 120 to 210 more calories simply by swapping 3 hours of sitting for standing. When you’re on your feet, you activate more muscles - helping you burn more calories.

 

3. Standing desks may lessen chronic back and neck pain (or prevent it)


Prolonged sitting is a health hazard, and we all know it. What we also know now is that in a test group, taking desk bound employees and giving them sit-stand desks reduced upper back and neck pain by a whopping 54%, while improving mood states. Say goodbye to those Chiropractor visits.

 

4. Standing desks can help lower your risk of heart disease


Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the world. Even people who exercise regularly could be at increased risk for heart disease and stroke if they spend a lot of time sitting. This research shows that standing desks help lower your risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association advises that prolonged sedentary time can be bad for your heart and blood vessels regardless of how much physical activity you get.


As Marc Hamilton, Ph.D., author of several studies on sedentary behavior and a professor at University of Houston explains it:

“Our bodies were built to move all day. They weren’t built to be idle and stationary with a metabolic rate similar to a person in a coma.”

He likes to remind people that 30 minutes a day of exercise cannot immunize you from what you do the other 23-and-a-half hours.

 

5. Lowered blood sugar spikes for standing workers

 

Our blood sugar tends to rise and then fall sharply after we eat, causing the dreaded post lunch crash (and leading to overconsumption of caffeine - what’s up Starbucks Chai Latte).

 

One study found people using standing desks to have a reduction in blood sugar spikes. The open study took place in a real office environment and measured participants aged between 21 to 61 years old and found a clear correlation between lowered blood sugar spikes and working while standing. Pretty fascinating.

 

6. Reduced fatigue and boosted energy levels (BONUS)


Yes I know, we promised you top 5 benefits, but there’s so many that we decided to include a sixth. This study compared fully sedentary workers with a group that were given a sit-stand desk over 7 weeks. The result? Workers reported being less tired at the end of the workday.


The list sounds almost too good to be true. And it sounds like you should get a stand up desk immediately. But are there any downsides?


Some claim you'll get dizzy or have a headache from all that standing, while others say your feet will get sore. But, the good news is, standing up is easier than you think, and you can make your workspace more comfortable and help prevent future posture and health problems by getting one of our desks into your office or home office. Invest in your health today, shop our desks here.

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