Why The Standing Desk Movement Isn’t Just A Fad

As more research surfaces about the health complications associated with sitting for long periods of time, a number of offices are converting to adjustable standing desk ergonomics.

Many of us spend long hours each day sitting in front of a computer, an act that is avoidable.  You might counteract sitting all day by sticking to a strict workout schedule. But even if you spend hours at the gym lifting weights, doing strenuous cardio, and have a resting heart rate below the average, this doesn’t protect you from the health hazards of sitting.

As the knowledge about sitting for extended periods of time spreads so does everyone’s attitude towards it. Consumer demand increases and companies develop new products to accommodate the demand for ergonomically friendly workstations.

Workstations that allow employees to stand or even walk while toiling at their keyboards have become mainstream. The health benefits of standing desk stations include reducing your risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Although the standing desk ergonomics movement might seem like a fad, extensive research has confirmed that a sedentary lifestyle can be detrimental in the long-term.

Standing desk benefits heavily outweigh sitting:

What Sitting Does To Your Body

• Sitting six or more hours a day makes you up to 40 per cent more likely to die within 15 years compared to someone who sits less than three hours per day. Evidence also suggests that the negative effects cannot be countered by strenuous exercise outside of work.
• Sitting at your job can be inevitable, and extra sitting outside of work can make the problem worse
• People with sitting jobs have twice the rate of cardiovascular disease as people with standing jobs

How Sitting Affects Your Body

• As soon as you sit down your electrical activity in your leg muscles shut off, your calorie burning drops to one calorie per minute and enzymes that help break down fat drop 90 per cent
• After two hours of sitting your good cholesterol drops 20 per cent
• After 24 hours of sitting insulin effectiveness drops 24 per cent and risk of diabetes rises

The Benefits Of Standing Desk Workstations

• When you are standing you are more likely to move around more and a desk that encourages you to move around more is one of the most convenient ways of not sitting
• For people who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, sitting can contribute to this risk
• Excessive sitting can make you more likely to develop heart failure compared to those who stand or move around more at work
• Breast and colon cancer have been linked to lack of physical activity, studies have shown that prolonged sitting can be responsible for those types of cancers

The standing desk benefits lower you long-term mortality risk. By having the options to stand and move around you reduce your chances of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Sensyst can furnish your office with the right standing desk ergonomics to suit your employees and their needs.