When you work in an office, you have a ton of different reasons to get up and get moving. You’re working face to face with people throughout the day, so you’ve always have a purpose when you get up. But what about when you work from home?
It’s different. While you can make excuses to get up that help, it’s still hard to find the motivation and resist the urge to just sit all day working.
This obviously isn’t good for your overall health.
An analysis of 13 studies of sitting time and activity levels found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying similar to the risks of dying posed by obesity and smoking.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005
So what can you do if you work from home and want to remain healthy? Get a standing desk!
Standing while working at desk
I know it sounds crazy. When I first started working from home, the thought of standing and working didn’t mix in my mind. I assumed my legs would get tired, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate, and I wouldn’t get anything done.
I never thought I would get used to it. There are a few tricks you can do to make the transition easier, but the simple fact is that the more you do it, the more you get used to it. Start out by standing for fifteen minutes in the morning and afternoon, and slowly increase from there.
One of the best tricks I’ve found is committing to an adjustable standing desk.
Adjustable Standing Desks: The easiest way to stay healthy while working from home
In an office, it’s unlikely you’ll ever convince your boss to set you up with an adjustable standing desk. But when you work from home? The options are limitless! Although slightly expensive…
An adjustable standing desk is basically two legs with a motor on it that will push a slab of wood up and down as you please.
A few years ago I purchased this desk frame from Amazon.
Then I bought a table top from Ikea, put it together and it’s perfect. The benefit of the adjustable frame is that it has a set of controls to set different heights. So you can go from sitting to standing as often as you want.
Health benefits of standing
Why go through all this hassle of trying to stand?
The benefits of standing while working are indisputable. Sitting is bad for your health.
One of the major benefits of standing is it will help relieve back pain. Sitting all day can be rough on your back, so transitioning between sitting and standing will help take some of that tension off your back.
Besides relieving back pain, there’s a list of long term health risks that are minimized including:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Cancer
Benefits of standing at work
It’s not just health benefits that are convincing people to ditch their office chairs. You’ll also find in general you are more focused and active than before.
I personally find when I start getting tired (especially right after lunch), switching to standing mode will help get me moving and wake me up a bit to finish out the day.
Adjustable standing desks are also great because they give you more flexibility in your office set up and the type of chair you choose. If you have a chair with higher arm rests, you’re going to have an easier time fitting those under the desk with an adjustable table top than a traditional desk.
If you go with the route of a motorized adjustable desk frame and purchase the table top separate, you have the benefit of being able to swap it out whenever you want without having to replace the whole unit.
Advantages of standing desk
Considering standing desks will help your overall health, make you more productive during the day, and make your office look better, it’s time to make an upgrade!