By now, you have already heard that “sitting is the new smoking.” Researches all over the world condemned sitting as a significant health risk. People then began standing at work, but new studies found out that standing could be just as problematic. What to do now—to sit or to stand? You can follow a healthy mix of the two with a sit-stand desk in your Sydney office and obtain benefits from both positions.
Too Much Sitting
With office work, you usually sit around for almost eight hours every day. This sedentary lifestyle, however, leads to increased risks for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancers of different kinds. Prolonged sitting pushes down on the veins and arteries in your lower body, leading to the risks mentioned. This stress is the reason why long-haul flight passengers are recommended to stretch and move around after a few hours of sitting down.
Too Much Standing
As a result of the researches on the dangers of sitting, offices, bosses, and employees began to replace sitting with standing. Standing desks replaced sitting desks. Standing too long, however, can also pose a health risk. Pressure now transfers to your feet and legs. You might develop swelling, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, collapsed veins, knee pain, hip pain, back pain, and many other physical problems.
Sit and Stand Alternately
What can you do now that both sitting and standing are problematic? You can relax and stand alternately throughout your day with a sit-stand desk. A study from the University of Pittsburgh covered 53 reviews regarding sit-stand desks (SSDs). The researchers found that SSDs effectively got people off their seats and provided comfort in the lower back. At the same time, SSDs reduced blood pressure a little.
Train Your Legs
How can you use an SSD yourself and gain the benefits above? Start by acquiring a quality SSD, and incrementally train your legs for standing. Stand up for 15 minutes on your first day of use of the SSD. After the quarter hour, sit down. Once you are comfortable, you can stand again for 15 minutes or 25 minutes. Add 10 minutes to your standing time at your comfort.
Remind Yourself
Of course, you have to remember to stand, too. You might be used to sitting all day that you might forget that you bought an SSD. To remind you to stand, you can set several alarms throughout your day to tell you when to stand and when to sit. Before long, you will get used to your new routine.
Move Around
Now, movement remains king when it comes to keeping your body healthy. An SSD can only do so much. With this, walk around your office for five minutes or go on a coffee break. Alternatively, you can stretch by your desk with heel rises, knee bend squats, or marching in place. Do what you can to make you move, and your blood will get flowing.
An SSD can cancel out the fatal effects of prolonged sitting or standing as long as you mix sitting, standing, and moving. Remember the steps above, and you can say goodbye to a sedentary office lifestyle.