Most jobs today require individuals to sit in front of their computer screens for long hours every day. Most tasks are now computer-based, meaning there's little moving involved, but there's definitely a lot of sitting. The idea of sitting all day long sure sounds comfortable, but in reality, sitting for too long can do more harm to you than good. Experts say sitting is the new smoking, which is enough to give you an idea of how harmful too much sitting can be for you.
Back in the day when computers weren't a thing, people used to move around their workplaces a lot to get things done. Now, all they've got to do is hit a command button, and that's about it. If there's a need to communicate with a coworker, they give them a call, drop them an email, or use the company's internal communication channel instead of walking over to their workstation.
Well, as much as technology has helped us by making tasks simpler and quicker, it has also led us to lead sedentary lives where the level of physical activity is far less than what's recommended. And we kid you not; a sedentary lifestyle has grave health consequences.
One way you can minimize the risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle (and too much sitting) is by working while standing. You read that right! Standing at work is one of the best ways to combat a sedentary lifestyle, especially if your schedule doesn't leave much time for you to exercise or engage in other physical activities.
This blog post will help you understand how a sedentary lifestyle can affect you and how standing at work can benefit you.
How Does Prolonged Sitting at Work Affect You?
You may wonder how sitting can possibly harm you. Well, you'll be surprised (or should we say shocked?) when we tell you how prolonged sitting can affect you.
Weaken Lower Body Muscles
When you sit for long hours, you don't use your legs and glutes. Not using these muscles will eventually weaken them. When you're standing or walking, your muscles are constantly in a state of work (contraction and expansion) to hold you upright against gravity to maintain your balance, but they don't have to do any of this work when you're sitting. When these muscles weaken, you're at a higher risk of injury.
Weight Gain
Sitting all day with no physical activity will result in weight gain. When you don't engage in physical activity, the body doesn't process the sugars and fats you eat, resulting in weight gain. Sitting all day also puts you at risk of metabolic syndrome.
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Most people aren't conscious of their posture. Sitting in an incorrect posture for long hours puts you at a massive risk of developing posture-related musculoskeletal disorders. These disorders are characterized by pain in the lower back, shoulders, and neck, and if you don't address them on time, you may end up with long-term health complications.
Heart Diseases and Diabetes
Sitting for too long at work and not engaging in physical activity after work can put you at risk of heart diseases like stroke and diabetes due to increased insulin resistance.
Varicose Veins
If you keep sitting for long hours, the blood will start to pool in the legs, resulting in Varicose veins. Although it isn't harmful, it can lead to more serious conditions like blood clots.
These aren't the only ways prolonged sitting at work can affect you. It can also result in increased mental and physical fatigue, poor mental health, and decreased workplace productivity.
How Can Standing at Work Benefit You?
Well, thanks to ergonomic standing desks like the Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk, you can now work while standing and combat a sedentary lifestyle without having to do much! With a standing desk, you can adjust the height of your workstation to suit yourself and work in absolute comfort and ease.
Let's look at the many ways you can benefit from working while standing using a standing desk:
1. Helps You Burn Calories
As you know by now, sitting for long hours can lead to weight gain because you don't give your body a chance to burn calories. Standing at work can reduce your chances of gaining excessive weight. Standing can help you burn calories, pretty much the same way walking does. Standing for an hour can help you burn 60 to 130 calories. If you stand for 3 hours every day of the week, you can burn as many as 1950 calories a week without moving an inch!
2. Improves Your Posture
Most people aren't aware that they're sitting in an incorrect posture at work. Now, what exactly does an incorrect posture look like? It's when you're sitting with your back curved, shoulders slumped, and your neck positioned awkwardly (chin out or head bent forward). If you're currently sitting like this, know that you're at a massive risk of developing posture-related musculoskeletal disorders because your posture is straining your back, neck, and shoulders.
Standing at work helps you improve your posture and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Using a standing desk at work improves ergonomics greatly. A standing desk allows you to adjust the height of your workstation so that you don't have to curve your back or slump your shoulders.
You can ensure that your computer screen is at eye level so that you don't have to raise or bend your neck. The correct height of your workstation also ensures that your arms are at a 100-degree angle at each side and that you don't have to lift your wrists awkwardly when typing. The best thing about working while standing is that you constantly have to shift weight between your legs, ensuring that your leg muscles don't get fatigued and the blood doesn't start to pool in your legs.
3. Improves Back Pain
If you experience back pain at work and nothing you do seems to help, your sitting posture might be to blame. When you're sitting in an incorrect posture for long hours, your spine is under a lot of stress, and this is the cause of back pain. Persistent back pain shouldn't be taken lightly as it's usually a sign of a serious problem, which is an incorrect posture in the case of a sitting job. However, when you're standing at work, there's no stress on the back. You can stand comfortably in a neutral posture and bid goodbye to back pain for good.
4. Reduces the Risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
When you're typing on your keyboard while sitting, you'll notice that you rest your wrists on the keyboard and raise your fingers to type on the keyboard. As you type, there's a constant strain on the wrists, which results in the compression of the median nerve that passes through the wrist. The compression of this nerve can result in numbness or painful tingling in the fingers, making typing very uncomfortable and even painful. This is known as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
However, when you’re working while standing, you can adjust the height of your workstation to ensure that your keyboard is at the right height for you and your arms are at a 90 to 100-degree angle. This is the ergonomic standard position of your arms, and this reduces the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome significantly.
5. Improves Circulation
Another way standing at work can benefit you is by improving circulation. When you're seated for too long, the blood starts to pool in your legs. This is the reason you experience swelling in the feet after sitting for many hours at a stretch. Now, when the blood starts to pool in the legs, the load on the heart is increased, and this puts you at the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and other complications like the formation of blood clots in the lower extremities, which can mobilize to other parts of the body.
But when you work while standing, your muscles are constantly at work to maintain your balance against gravity. Micro-movements in the leg muscles ensure smooth circulation and prevent the blood from pooling in the legs. This, in turn, reduces the risk of heart disease.
6. Improves Your Mood
Standing at work can have a positive impact on your mood and energy levels. As you know by now, when you're standing, the muscles of your legs are constantly at work. Not only do you benefit from these micro-movements, but you also tend to move around more when you're standing. This keeps you alert and active. You'll feel fresh at work, and this will reflect in your mood and performance!
Closing Word
If you go home from work with body pain and a bad mood every day, you should change the way you work. Instead of sitting on your chair all day every day, start working while standing, and you'll see the difference yourself. You'll find yourself more active, energized, and productive, which will directly impact your mental health and overall workplace productivity!
