Working while standing up is the standard in many modern workplaces. It's becoming increasingly common to find standing desks at workplaces all around the world as more individuals become aware of the health benefits of working while on their feet. Although standing desks have been shown to improve health, productivity, and teamwork in the workplace, it's important to remember that there are both incorrect and optimal postures for using them. Listed below are certain cliches that you should try to avoid.
You can get the most out of the health benefits offered by your new standing desk by adapting your workstation to your specific needs. From the outside, it would appear obvious how to stand at a standing desk: just stand. You put in time in the office. You keep saying the same thing. However, because every person's physical makeup is unique, ergonomics cannot be considered a precise science. It's fortunate that the ideal desk height will be varied for each individual. Okay, let's go over the basics of using a standing desk again!
Many students spend over 75% of their time in class seated, while recent studies show that workers spend 62% of their workweek seated. The risks of gaining weight, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain malignancies, and dying younger, as well as mental health disorders like sadness and anxiety, are all higher in those who sit for lengthy periods of time, so this is cause for concern.
Standing desks are becoming increasingly used as a means to cut down on sitting time at work. A height-adjustable standing desk can be purchased to replace your current workstation, or a standing desk converter can be purchased to allow you to keep your current desk. Whether you prefer to sit or stand while you work, either of these desk solutions will do the trick.
Any profession that keeps you seated for long periods of time, like working at a desk, can lead to serious back and neck problems. My neck and upper back are killing me, yet I lead a highly busy lifestyle. You can counteract this problem by working out vigorously all the time, by going to the gym or simply performing some lighter workouts at home, maybe yoga for example.
But many of us just don't have the time for that, and if you only work out occasionally, you'll still have the same back and neck issues and feel bad all the time, especially at work, which can lead to resentment of your employer and a decrease in productivity. You may take my word for it when I say that while a sedentary lifestyle may not initially pose an issue for everyone, it eventually will. The human body was not designed to sit for long periods of time.
If you want to keep working, you'll need to find a solution to your back pain. The good news is that there are viable alternatives to wasting time at the gym multiple times per week. A height-adjustable standing desk is a great option for overcoming this problem. If you like to stand while working, any standing desk will do, but a sit-stand desk is the most flexible option because it allows you to switch between sitting and standing. With the push of a button, you can toggle between these two stances.
The Health Benefits Of Standing Desks
Standing desks have been increasingly popular as a workplace bonus in recent years as evidence has accumulated about the health risks associated with sitting for lengthy periods of time.
The percentage of companies that provide standing desks to their employees increased by nine percentage points in the past year, from 44% to 53%, according to the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM) 2018 Employee Benefits Survey.
According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who said in June 2016 that all staff were provided with standing desks because "the combination of sitting and standing is far healthier for [the employees'] lifestyle," standing desks have become increasingly common in offices.
How, therefore, should you maximize the benefits of having the option to work while standing up? Which stretches have been shown to increase blood flow, and which inexpensive furniture additions can maximize this effect?
Standing Too Long Can Be As Bad As Over-Sitting
It's important to remember that a standing desk isn't meant to replace sitting, and that standing for extended periods isn't something recommended by medical professionals or physical therapists.
According to Dr. Andrew Elkwood, MD, founder and head of the Center for the Treatment of Paralysis and Reconstructive Nerve Surgery at Jersey Shore Medical Center, "Standing idly can develop issues, largely vascular." It's been said that "standing all day puts a lot of pressure on your legs, which can cause edoema, varicose veins, and haemorrhoids."
Physical therapist and Stanford Health Care employee Dr. Susan Chan agrees that standing for long periods of time can cause problems including "collapsed veins in the lower limbs," as well as "knee discomfort, back pain, and hip pain."
If you have to use a standing desk for work, don't do it for too long without taking a break to sit down. Locate a happy medium between sitting and standing. Chan recommends switching it up every hour or so.
Where Should A Standing Desk Be Positioned?
Since we're discussing standing desks, let's compare the heights of a seated and standing worker. Given this, we need to examine how to sit comfortably at a standing desk before moving on to the standing desk itself. We'll then investigate how best to place it at eye level.
The first order of business is to find a comfortable sitting position in your desk chair. If you're at the right spot, you'll be able to rest your feet flat on the floor. Your arms should be at your sides, with your hands at or slightly below elbow level. For a seated typing work, your hands should be about where they are now.
In order to determine the ideal height for standing, we want to set things up in a similar fashion. If you stand with your feet hip-width apart, your arms should hang naturally at your sides, and your hands should be at or slightly below elbow level. Assume this standing height to be optimal for typing.
Think about the thickness of any new footwear or anti-fatigue mats you're considering. Depending on the mat or shoe, this can add or subtract up to two inches from your standing height. How this affects your ideal height is potentially significant.
Please be aware that the standard height for a sitting desk is 29" to 30". The results of this test will show you that regular desk height is optimal for only a tiny percentage of people. The ability to adjust the height of a sit-to-stand desk is an additional perk.
How To Stand At A Standing Desk?
As we mentioned before, the ideal height of a standing desk is highly individual. While our standing desks are user-friendly, many still have trouble finding the most comfortable working position. Here are a few of Progressive Desk's best recommendations for making the most of your standing desk.
Properly Align Your Elbows and Wrists
When standing at your adjustable desk and typing, make sure your elbows and wrists are in a neutral position for maximum comfort. Your elbows will thank you if you bend them to a 90-degree angle to avoid unnecessary stress. It is best to keep your wrists in a straight line perpendicular to your torso so that your fingers can reach the keyboard without straining your wrists. By doing so, you can keep your hands from getting tense when working at a standing desk.
Keep your neck still and your wrists straight in front of you while bending your elbows to a 90-degree angle. Adjust the height of your standing desk so that your forearms are perpendicular to the top of the desk when working. Make sure your wrists are completely relaxed and straight while typing. Although you should let your fingers dangle down to meet the keyboard, your wrists should never be at an angle.
The final tweaks should keep your wrists in a neutral position: Your wrist should be completely straight at all times; nevertheless, your fingers may dangle down to meet your keyboard.
Fix Your Posture
When standing or sitting for long periods of time, it's crucial to maintain proper posture. Always maintain an erect, tall posture by keeping your head, neck, and shoulders in a comfortable, but upright, stance. In addition, make sure your forearms are parallel to the tabletop and your knees are not overextended by sitting in a relaxed but slightly bent position.
Adjust and Save Your Desk Position
Put your desk in a spot where your wrists can stay in a natural, relaxed position while you work. Make sure your fingers can easily move around the keyboard without forcing your wrists to move up or down. Keep in mind that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can develop if you continually stretch your wrists. When you've got your desk set up just right, save the height setting so you can easily go between standing and sitting using the memory function of your remote.
Maintaining Proper Posture
Maintain a vertical line from your head to your neck to your body, and let your shoulders drop down and back. In this position, your feet should be squarely under your shoulders, your knees should be slightly bent, and you should occasionally shift your weight from one foot to the other. A footstool can help you redistribute your body weight, which may be comfortable. You may be able to stand for longer lengths of time if you use an anti-fatigue mat.
Another alternative to sitting or standing at your work is to kneel, or half kneel. When you take a knee, your body assumes a position that is both comfortable and healthy for your spine. There are numerous kneeling postures that you can utilise - one leg forwards and one leg down on a balance cushion such as a Theraband balance board, both knees positioned on a kneeling chair, or one leg on the floor and one knee kneeling on a chair. As you kneel, your spine and pelvis will naturally find a neutral position, and you'll be compelled to adopt a more upright posture that will relieve strain on your back.
It’s not unusual for your knees to grow fatigued or achy after a long time spent kneeling. If you're feeling pain, try switching which knee you're kneeling on, standing up from your chair, or even taking a brief stroll.
Proper Positioning of Your Computer Monitor
Your monitor should be at arms' length in front of you, its top level at or below eye level (tilted up to 20 degrees), and your line of sight perpendicular to the screen surface when staring at the centre of the screen. It is recommended to use two screens side by side, with their edges touching, for multitasking. However, if you spend more than 80% of your time on one screen, you should set one screen in front of you and the other to the side.
*If you wear bifocals, you may find it more comfortable to position your monitor so that it is 1 to 2 inches (2 to 3 fingerbreadths) below eye level.
Put Something Soft Beneath Your Feet
Standing for too long can be just as painful on your feet as sitting is on your bottom, back, and neck. What then is the answer to this problem? In general, anything cushioned that can be placed under your feet will do, such as an anti-fatigue mat or, even better, a flow board. The greatest anti-fatigue mat for a standing desk is available and features an ergonomic design that is both comfortable and effective in reducing foot fatigue.
Any cushiony surface will be easier on your feet and prevent blood from accumulating there, which can lead to other issues further up the leg. The proper usage of a standing desk necessitates the acquisition of a soft and comfortable surface upon which one can stand.
Proper Positioning of Your Mouse and Keyboard
Keep your elbows close to your torso, at a 90- to 120-degree bend, and on the same surface as the mouse and keyboard. Place your hands just below your elbows with your wrists completely straight.
To reduce the amount of time spent using the mouse, you should experiment with keyboard shortcuts and mouse sensitivity settings to find the sweet spot. Move the mouse to the opposite side of the keyboard every so often, and switch which hand typically uses it.
Move While Using A Standing Desk
Don't be a statue; get up and about. The first time you hear it, it can sound counterintuitive, but in reality, it's not. No resting position is healthy for the human body (sleeping is an exception, but that's another story!). After you've become acclimated to working at a standing desk, it's a good idea to get up and walk around every so often. Though you won't feel any discomfort after 30 minutes, getting up and walking around the house or office will do you some good.
If you're not in the mood to go for a walk, you can always do some calf raises or other simple exercises at your standing desk. The most important thing is to do something to get your body moving and your blood pumping. As harmful as prolonged sitting is to the body, so can prolonged inactivity be. After all, it's bad for your health to sit still for too long. Get up and take a stroll every once in a while! After that, you can return to your standing desk with renewed vigor and efficiency.
Recommended Standing Time
You should start your workday sitting down, and gradually increase your time spent standing and moving to four hours. If you're standing or sitting for more than 20 minutes at a time, make sure to get up and move around for 2 minutes every 20 to 30 minutes.
Walking to the water fountain or printer, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and parking further away from the main entrance are all good habits to adopt if you want to get more exercise at work.
FAQs About Standing Desk
An Overview of the Best Standing Desk Practices
- Keep your standing desk at a comfortable height for your elbows at all times.
- Maintain an upright posture with a tall neck and loose shoulders.
- Stand without locking your knees.
- Place the monitor at eye level.
- Maintain a neutral wrist position, with your forearms perpendicular to the desk.
A study found that the optimal standing-to-sitting ratio was one hour of standing for every two hours of sitting. A sit-stand desk with a height-adjustable surface allows you to do just that. Almost all modern sit stand desks are equipped with electric controls or gas lifts that allow the user to raise and lower the desk's height many times each day.
One hour of standing should replace every one or two hours spent sitting at your desk. Stand up every 30 minutes to an hour if you can. In conclusion, it is recommended that you take frequent breaks from sitting to standing.
The health risks of sitting at a desk all day have long been recognised, and it is now recommended that workers take short breaks every hour to get up and move around. A professor from the University of Waterloo, however, claims that standing for at least 30 minutes every hour is beneficial to health.
Participants utilising standing workstations in the research reported up to a 32% reduction in lower back and neck pain after using the desk for a few weeks. In order to avoid strain on your spine and neck, adjust the height of both your workstation and your computer screen.
Conclusion
Research has shown that standing desks are beneficial to workers' health, productivity, and collaboration. When using a standing desk, there are both bad and good ways to stand. As a result of individual differences in height, weight, and build, the ideal desk height will also differ among workers. Here are some tired phrases you should avoid using. In the long run, a lack of physical activity will be a problem for everyone, even if they didn't have any problems with it at first.
It's possible to get around this issue by using a standing desk that can be adjusted in height. Nine percentage points' worth of growth has been seen in the past year in the number of businesses that offer standing desks to their staff. Many people experience "collapsed veins in the lower limbs," "knee discomfort," "back pain," and "hip pain" after prolonged periods of standing at a desk. Your arms should be at your sides, with your hands resting slightly below your elbows, if you stand with your feet hip-width apart. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of what the best height for a standing desk is; in fact, many people have difficulty settling on a solution.
Your forearms should be parallel to the tabletop, and your knees should not be locked out. Keep your head, neck, and body in a straight line, and relax your shoulders. You may find more ease in sitting if you use a footstool to shift your weight. If you need to look down at your screen because of bifocals, try lowering your screen by 1 to 2 inches. A soft, cushioned surface will be more comfortable for your feet and will reduce the risk of blood pooling there.
One of the best anti-fatigue mats for a standing desk is available, and it has an ergonomic design that makes standing for long periods of time much easier on the feet. Key to efficient standing desk use is arranging your mouse and keyboard in the optimal positions. Extended periods of inactivity can be just as detrimental to health as sitting for long periods of time. After 20 or 30 minutes of standing or sitting, take a 2-minute break and walk around. Then you'll be refreshed and ready to get back to work at your standing desk.
Content Summary
- Although standing desks have been shown to improve health, productivity, and teamwork in the workplace, it's important to remember that there are both incorrect and optimal postures for using them.
- You can get the most out of the health benefits offered by your new standing desk by adapting your workstation to your specific needs.
- It's fortunate that the ideal desk height will be varied for each individual.
- Standing desks are becoming increasingly used as a means to cut down on sitting time at work.
- A height-adjustable standing desk can be purchased to replace your current workstation, or a standing desk converter can be purchased to allow you to keep your current desk.
- Any profession that keeps you seated for long periods of time, like working at a desk, can lead to serious back and neck problems.
- If you want to keep working, you'll need to find a solution to your back pain.
- A height-adjustable standing desk is a great option for overcoming this problem.
- If you like to stand while working, any standing desk will do, but a sit-stand desk is the most flexible option because it allows you to switch between sitting and standing.
- Standing desks have been increasingly popular as a workplace bonus in recent years as evidence has accumulated about the health risks associated with sitting for lengthy periods of time.
- Locate a happy medium between sitting and standing.
- Given this, we need to examine how to sit comfortably at a standing desk before moving on to the standing desk itself.
- The first order of business is to find a comfortable sitting position in your desk chair.
- In order to determine the ideal height for standing, we want to set things up in a similar fashion.
- Assume this standing height to be optimal for typing.
- When standing at your adjustable desk and typing, make sure your elbows and wrists are in a neutral position for maximum comfort.
- Adjust the height of your standing desk so that your forearms are perpendicular to the top of the desk when working.
- Make sure your wrists are completely relaxed and straight while typing.
- Another alternative to sitting or standing at your work is to kneel, or half kneel.
- When you take a knee, your body assumes a position that is both comfortable and healthy for your spine.
- It's not unusual for your knees to grow fatigued or achy after a long time spent kneeling.
- Standing for too long can be just as painful on your feet as sitting is on your bottom, back, and neck.
- In general, anything cushioned that can be placed under your feet will do, such as an anti-fatigue mat or, even better, a flow board.
- The proper usage of a standing desk necessitates the acquisition of a soft and comfortable surface upon which one can stand.
- Keep your elbows close to your torso, at a 90- to 120-degree bend, and on the same surface as the mouse and keyboard.
- To reduce the amount of time spent using the mouse, you should experiment with keyboard shortcuts and mouse sensitivity settings to find the sweet spot.
- After you've become acclimated to working at a standing desk, it's a good idea to get up and walk around every so often.
- If you're standing or sitting for more than 20 minutes at a time, make sure to get up and move around for 2 minutes every 20 to 30 minutes.