Be upstanding - the surprising benefits of a standing desk
There’s an excellent podcast called Just One Thing, which I review in this week’s HEYDAYS NEWSLETTER (if you’re not already a subscriber I heartily recommend it for a weekly helping of fun, inspiration, recipes, viewing/reading/listening recommendations and eco-friendly, money-saving tips). I’m not going to say anything about it other than that the premise is each episode explores one thing you can do to improve your health and wellbeing. You’ll have to read the newsletter to find out more.
What I will say is that I have recently done just one thing which, if your job involves a lot of sitting like mine does, turns out can be hugely beneficial both those things as well as having all kinds of other advantages, in ways that I absolutely had not expected.
And that is to get a standing desk.
Here I am, working at my new standing desk
If you’re not familiar with how a standing desk works, it’s does pretty much what it says on the tin. At the push of a button you can raise the height of the desk from a sitting level to a standing one (and visa versa obviously). So at any given time, and for any given length of time, you can work standing rather than sitting. Ta dah!
We are increasingly being told that sitting is the new smoking in terms of the health risks it poses, which include impacting your sugar regulation, blood pressure and increasing your risk of heart attacks. Not to mention the effect on your muscles and mental health from not moving around enough. (There are some simple but effective stretches you can do to help with tight muscles whilst sitting at your desk in THIS BLOG).
Standing for periods of time during the day not only counteracts those potentially damaging consequences, but, as I can now report from personal experience, has all sorts of other beneficial repercussions.
So here are some of the key ways research and my own insight have found standing, in whatever circumstances but especially at your desk if your work involves a lot of sitting, can boost your physical and mental health:
It improves your posture
Standing desks have been shown to encourage better posture which, in turn helps reduce the risk of developing musculoskeletal problems including back and neck pain. There’s more about posture and five simple exercises you can do to improve it in THIS BLOG
It decreases strain on your neck and shoulders
These two spots are certainly where I hold most of my tension, especially when I’m concentrating very hard on a piece of work, or it’s especially tricky. When I’m finished I frequently realise my shoulders are hunched up somewhere near my ear lobes! Standing makes that kind of tenseness much harder to establish and maintain as well as being better for your circulation. (That, in turn, means I’m using THIS clever neck tension reliever less often, but it’s still good to have it on hand when needed.)
It can reduce your risk of certain health problems
There have been studies that have found that using a standing desk may be associated with a lower risk of certain conditions, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
It encourages movement and helps your joints and bones
Over and above the physical act of standing, the way you tend to move your hips, shift your weight from foot to foot and forwards and backwards, stretch or even pace when you’re at a standing desk is great for your joints and bones.
It burns calories
True there isn’t a dramatic difference between calories burned when you’re sitting or standing, but every little helps!
It increases your energy and alertness
This has been one of the biggest bonuses of having a standing desk. Because standing enhances your blood circulation, it has the knock on effect of making you feel generally much more on the ball. Standing up to work has all but banished my usual mid-afternoon slump and I find it equally effective in helping me focus on stuff I have to do that’s challenging or tricky. Which in turn means….
It’s good for your mood and productivity
If I’m working better, I’m feeling better. And if I’m feeling better and more positive and productive, my work is better. If that’s not a win-win, I don’t know what is.
A couple of tips if all this has made you think about investing in a standing desk (which doesn’t need to cost a fortune, see below).
Tip 1 - you’ll need to make sure the surface of your desk and any walls around/behind it are comfortably free of anything that could get caught, knocked down or scraped when the desk is moving up and down, as I, ahem, discovered the first time I raised mine.
Tip 2 - It will make standing substantially more comfortable if you have a soft surface to stand on - a rug, mat or carpet is ideal - and comfortable, supportive shoes.
As for the cost issue - whilst it’s certainly possible to spend a hefty amount on a standing desk, it absolutely isn’t necessary. My desk is quite small (100cm x 60cm) and I bought THIS standing desk from Flexispot which I really liked because it had so many customisable options, and which I liked even more because it only cost £209 including delivery (at the time of writing, and when I bought it, it’s reduced - better still). True it came flat packed so I had to assemble it, but it really wasn’t hard at all, even though both the base and the desktop are quite heavy. I was a bit nervous about assembling something that involved electronics - definitely not my forte - but again, it couldn’t have been more straightforward. And I was, and am, thoroughly chuffed with the finished result.
If a standing desk is something you’ve never considered or tried, I really recommend you do. Your body and mind will thank you if you do.
Other posts that will help improve your physical and mental health
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