A man from Sri Lanka has the Guinness world record for the longest time spent sitting in one spot. He finished with 69 hours and 48 minutes. This guy needs a standing desk!
Many career choices include a sitting desk job, looking at a computer screen, and answering the phone daily. But sitting is not the most beneficial position for the human body.
- Those who constantly sit risk developing diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, and obesity.
- Our glutes, which are supposed to be the second strongest muscle in our body, start to forget how to fire or contract. And over time, they’ll get so weak that they’ll start pulling in accessory muscles. So we think we have a bad back or bad knees. But what we have is a weak butt.
- Sitting hunched over in a chair only increases neck and back pain.
There is hope for the modern-day office employee: the sit-stand desk or, simply, standing office desk. You can buy one here**.
Using sit-stand desks has been scientifically proven to improve productivity and concentration and increase creativity. While you are standing, some of the body’s largest muscles are working, increasing blood flow to the brain. It improves the way we feel and function.
It has also been found that sit-stand desks can increase productivity by up to 10-20%.
This is why I love using a Sit-Stand desk in my home office. I also have other things in my healthy home office, like a portable standing desk, Fitbike, hoop, and more.
Using a sit-stand desk is better for mental health as it allows the brain to release the necessary chemicals that help us remain in good mental health.
Standing keeps the back straight, and with height-adjustable desks, there should be no craning of the neck to look at a computer screen while working.
Limiting the amount of time that one sits can make improvements both physically and mentally on the human body. Sit-to-stand desks have quite a few benefits, which is why it’s become so popular in not just professional office settings, but personal office settings as well.
You can take the following five micro steps today to improve your life while waiting for your Sit Stand Desk:
- Try to alternate frequently: What's best for the body is not to sit or stand but to move. Just getting up and down burns more calories than sitting or standing. Try to alternate between the two positions as often as makes sense – an optimal choice would be every 30 minutes.
- Work on your posture: Stand up straight when upright and keep your hips tucked under. When sitting, your knees should be at a 90-degree angle – you may need foot support to make that happen.
- Consider an anti-fatigue mat: A cushioned mat can help ease the strain of standing, and some types come with a contour that can encourage you to move more. When someone tells me they are buying a standing desk, my next question is, “did you get an anti-fatigue mat?”
- Try to stand after eating: Perhaps do a standing period where you're slightly more active than you would be sitting to help burn a few more calories and decrease blood sugar spikes.
- Do Walkie-Talkies: Try walking with your colleagues for meetings rather than sitting in a conference room.
Everyone likes to sit and relax with their feet propped up after a long day, but when the work consists of sitting, that’s the last thing that should be done.
How long has it been since you last stood up?
Post written by Marcey Rader and Rijul Arora.
Note: ** are affiliate links, meaning that we'll earn a commission if you choose to purchase. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. We use these ourselves and recommend them regardless, but if we can earn a small commission, why not?
