Expert opinions on how long you should stand at a standing desk vary, but this study published in the British Journal Of Sports Medicine recommends working your way up to at least 2 hours and eventually progressing up to 4 hours per day.
The study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine also hints at incorporating light activity during your workday to counter the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
Experts suggest gradually implementing these changes to limit possible injuries and always listening to your body. Remember that what we’re trying to avoid is prolonged static positions.
Switch as often as needed between sitting and standing.
The Canadian Center for occupational health and safety explains that recommendations on how long a person should sit or stand vary between 1 hour and 5 minutes. They also suggest that it’s always a good idea to consult your healthcare professional for personalized recommendations.
01. Limits Back Pain
Back pain is a common complaint amongst workers who spend most of their days sitting or working in static positions.
A study conducted in 2011 showed that participants who spent on average 66 minutes of their working hours standing as compared to sitting had a 54% reduction in upper back and neck pain.
Using a standing desk and alternating your working positions is an excellent way to prevent back pain from occurring.
Pro tip
It’s not enough to simply move from sitting to standing. You need to ensure that your body is aligned correctly with your standing desk and that it’s set up for both sitting and standing positions.
Good news! Our standing desk’s memory keys ensure swift height changes by remembering the ideal settings for both your sitting and standing positions.
We’ve also created a comprehensive guide (with visuals) to help you use a standing desk correctly.
You can also visit the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety’s website if you want additional tips and tricks.
02. Burns More Calories
Suppose you’re keeping track of your energy expenditure. In that case, you might be happy to learn that standing leads to a slight increase in calories burned compared to sitting.
Using a standing desk can burn about 50 calories per hour. If you spend 3 hours per day standing for an entire week of work, that leads to about 750 calories burnt!
While this might not seem like a considerable amount, remember that meaningful changes don’t always require radical changes.
Start with small effective habits. You’ll be surprised to see how quickly everything adds up.
It’s important to note that using an adjustable desk does not substitute for exercise. Health Canada suggests adults engage in at least 2.5 hours of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity per week.
03. Improves Mood and Energy Levels
Generally speaking, when we feel good in our bodies, we are in a better mood.
By keeping in mind to prioritize movement over static positions, we have better chances of uplifting our spirit.
It might sound simple, but changes in mood and behaviour don’t always need to be drastic. What if standing while working could help boost your productivity while helping you feel healthier?
04. Decreases Fatigue Level (Increases Energy Level)
Do you have a hard time keeping up with your colleagues at work with increasing feelings of lethargy and low energy?
It might be time to revisit your body’s position while your work.
In a recent study, participants were given the Stroop test to gauge their processing ability while standing.
It turns out participants doing the test standing up had quicker processing abilities than those sitting down.
If you’ve lost your edge at work, perhaps it’s time to give adjustable standing desks a go.
05. Increases Productivity and Concentration Levels
Along with improving our processing abilities, switching from sitting to standing while working may also benefit our productivity and concentration levels.
Standing requires more effort. Not only because it involves the engagement of more muscles but also because your brain must keep tabs on more things simultaneously.
Your brain has to maintain your balance while also focusing on sending off that email to your boss.
This mild dose of additional stress has been shown to increase cognitive performance.
Note that this light stress response isn’t enough to cause anxiety or other unwanted effects.
06. Helps Reduce the Risk of Cancer
Studies show the correlation between sedentary lifestyles and the risk of developing certain cancers, such as colon and breast cancer.
As we all know, various factors come into play regarding our health and wellness. Keeping up with the new research and often contradictory information can be overwhelming.
Yet research points again and again to the benefits of a standing desk.
The small shift of standing instead of sitting can lead to important changes in your overall well-being.
With our standing desks, shifting from sitting to standing has never been easier.
07. Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease
A study published in the European Heart Journal concluded that more time standing rather than sitting could improve blood sugar, fats in the blood and cholesterol levels.
We were thrilled to learn about these findings, as we all know how important these factors are to our overall health!
The study also illustrated how light walks throughout the day can help lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol, two critical factors in lowering our risk for heart disease.
08. Improves Blood Circulation
By shifting from sitting to standing with the help of an electric standing desk and incorporating other movements throughout your day, you are helping your body carry all of its essential functions with ease.
We’ve all felt the endorphins coursing through our bodies after leaving a movement session, faces flushed and ready to tackle the day.
Have you ever wondered why you don’t feel the same aliveness from a day spent sitting in front of your computer?
Using a home office standing desk is a great way to ensure effortless blood circulation and muscle tone retention while avoiding the long-term consequences of sitting and the lack of movement.
09. Keep your Mind-Body Connection Sharp
Incorporating more movement throughout your day will slowly solidify your connection to your body.
Suddenly, when shifting from sitting to standing, ignoring what your body feels while you spend hours concentrating fully on your work, won’t be as easy.
By changing positions and engaging different muscles, you might notice that you were holding a lot of tension in a specific part of your body or that you need to take a break.
Whether standing or sitting, the goal is to slowly break free from the repetitive motions of our modern lifestyle.
Changing our work environment by incorporating standing desks is the first step in transforming our relationship to movement in all aspects of our lives, from how we commute, play, and experience the world.
Final Thoughts and Further Reading
Are you curious to learn more about how our body’s positioning affects all body systems, including but not limited to our neurological and musculoskeletal health?
We strongly encourage you to consult this article about the essentials all office workers should know. Written by an exercise physiologist and biomechanics specialist with more than 20 years of experience, it is full of great information.
Our team is insatiably curious about the interaction of humans with their environments. We are dedicated to upgrading your workspace through innovative and thoughtful design.
If you’re ready to optimize your health and productivity at work, you can view our complete collection of standing desks here.
Up Next
- Where Should Lumbar Support Be On Your Back?
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