With the popularity of standing office workstations on the rise, many people are wondering what the benefits of using such a desk are. There are a number of benefits associated with the use of these workstations. We have outlined some of the main benefits here for your convenience.
- Promotes good health
Standing allows your body to adjust and move easily, which continually flexes your muscles. This helps to keep your blood circulating properly, regulates your blood sugar and keeps your blood pressure lower. When sitting for long periods of time, our circulation suffers and we don’t produce the chemicals necessary for processing sugars and fats. - Burns more calories
Standing whilst working actually burns around third more calories than sitting does. This is due to having an increased heart rate (on average, around 10 beats per minute higher). Just standing for 3 or 4 hours a day is the equivalent of running 10 marathons a year. This can help those looking to lose weight or those trying to maintain a healthy weight. - Increases focus & productivity
Many employees have found that standing increases their focus, alertness and activity levels. These workstations can also help to avoid the naturally occurring slumps and bouts of fatigue that occur in the mid-morning or early afternoon. Some employees have also reported satisfying tiredness when it comes time to go to sleep. - Promotes ergonomics
When we sit, our posture is often far from perfect – there is a lot of compression within the chest and abdominal area, our shoulders slouch and our spine rolls. This can lead to repetitive stress injuries later on in life, not to mention crippling back pain. Standing keeps your core and back muscles engaged, helping to improve your posture. - Relieves pre-existing conditions
Research has shown that standing can actually help to alleviate back pain and other repetitive stress injuries that you may already have sustained from in-ergonomic work environments. These problems usually arise from not using your back enough – when sitting, you allow the chair to hold your upper body instead of your muscles.
As you can see, standing office workstations can improve the health and wellbeing of your employees (or even yourself) in a variety of ways. These desks are certainly something you should consider introducing into your workplace.
