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Standing Desks Vs Sitting: Which Is Better And Why? In 2022

Standing Desks Vs Sitting: Which Is Better And Why? Do you work at a desk job all day? You may want to consider switching to a standing desk. A study conducted by the University of Iowa revealed that people who use standing desks are less likely to develop serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, blood circulation, and high blood pressure.

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The University also found that employees with stand-up desks were more productive in every measure than their sitting counterparts.

Studies have shown that those who stand spend less time on social media sites and had fewer interruptions from coworkers, phone calls, or emails because they could focus better.

Standing desks are all the rage among office job who want to be more productive and avoid the potential health risks of sitting all day. However, there is debate about whether these desks help people stay healthy or cause problems in other ways.

This blog post, Focal Upright will explore how standing smart desk workstations can affect your health and productivity.

Standing Desks Vs Sitting

What is a Standing Desk?

A standing desk is a unique piece of furniture that allows you to work while standing up. It can improve your health and productivity.

Standing desks give you the option of whether or not to sit or stand while working. You might choose to use a sitting desk for focused tasks and switch to a standing desk instead of moving around but still concentrate on work.

Another reason why you would choose a standing desk is that it can help with chronic diseases and illnesses, like obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc… fine motor skills (see ‘pros of standing desks’ below)

For more information about the health benefits of standing desks, see:

1. Why Should You Choose a Standing Desk?

A standing desk can help you to stand more than a normal desk. You can even download apps to remind you to stand every hour.

The most common way for people to increase their movement during the day is by setting a timer.

By using a standing desk, you might choose not to sit at all or stand up whenever it’s possible. You might stand for a meeting and sit down only when you need to focus on something (see ‘How to move during your day’ below).

Many tools can help you with standing up more often. Those tools include fitness trackers (that can measure how much you moved), blog posts, apps, etc…

For more information about standing desks and movement, see:

2. Pros of Standing Desks

  • Standing not only prevents weight gain — it can help people losing weight (standing burns more calories than sitting)
  • Standing can reduce your higher risk of cardiovascular diseases
  • Standing might make you more energetic (or at least, feel more energetic)
  • You will be less likely to get fatigued and foot pain, neck pain, muscle aches while standing compared to sitting all-day
  • You are likely to move around more during the day, which has many health benefits
  • You might feel more productive, blood circulating

These are just some of the pros of standing desks. For a more complete picture, please see ‘more resources’ below.

3. Cons of Standing Desks

  • Standing can be hard on your feet and legs after extended periods of time
  • Standing can give you sore arms and shoulders if you’re not careful (see ‘How to move during your day’ below)
  • You might have an easier time standing when it’s cold because that will encourage movement. But moving around in hot weather is dangerous, so a standing desk correctly will be less useful on days like that.
  • Sitting is the default, so you might not want to switch to a standing desk right away.
  • Many people get tired of the standing-desk life and eventually end up sitting all day again

Standing Desks Vs Sitting

What are Sitting Desks?

A sitting desk is a unique piece of furniture that allows you to work while sitting down.

Some people find it very difficult to stand all day (or even for a significant part of the day), so they prefer a sitting desk. This way, they can still benefit from not sitting all day.

For more information about the benefits of sitting desk see:

1. Pros of Sitting Desks

  • You can sit and stand whenever you want
  • You might be less likely to move around during the day if you choose a sitting desk, but this can still be beneficial
  • Sitting is the default, so it’s often easier to start with a sitting desk
  • You won’t have sore feet and legs if you use a sitting desk

2. Cons of Sitting Desks

Sitting can increased risk of preventive cardiology found (relative to standing)

If you sit all day, you will probably have a more challenging time standing up straight than someone who stands all day.

You might feel less more energy if you sit all day (but see ‘vibration exercise’ below)

It can be increased risk bad for your health to prolonged sitting in the same position (see ‘pros of standing desks’ above)

Read also: How to Build a Corner Desk | Step By Step Guide 2021

Standing Desks Vs Sitting

Standing Desks Vs Sitting: Which Is Better?

The answer to this question is complicated (which you can tell by all these articles).

In general, there are benefits for both standing and sitting. So it’s probably best to sit sometimes and to stand sometimes.

Some research shows that sitting is generally better than standing (see this study, though not everyone agrees with these results). In contrast, other research shows that it’s more beneficial to stand than sit stand desks (see this one, though there are some dissenting opinions).

It all depends on your situation. The answer also depends on how you stand and sit, so it’s important to think about your body’s good posture.

How to Get the Most of a Standing Versus Sitting Desk ( Tips for a desk job)

There are many different ways to move around if you have a working desk. Some of these include:

1. Take more breaks – more movement

I think this is the most important tip.

If you don’t take many breaks, your body will get fatigued and stressed… your posture will suffer… and so on.

You should probably standing breaks for 10 to 20 minutes every 1 – 1.5 hours while working at a standing desk (if possible), or after some time if you have a sitting desk.

It can be good to sit down after standing for some time, too. Switching between different postures is generally best for your body and brain.

2. Walk during calls

I like this idea because it doesn’t require any extra exercise or movement. You need to get up once in a while when you are talking on the phone.

3. Step away from your Desk at lunchtime

If possible, walk to a restaurant (or within range of some food) and take your lunch there every once in a while. Switching between postures is very beneficial for your body, mind, and productivity when you switch back to work after taking a break.

4. Use a fitness tracker to monitor activity

It’s good to track your activity, but don’t do it obsessively. Try wearing a fitness tracker once in a while (during the day), so you can look back at how active you’ve been when you’re not working at your Desk.

5. Try seated exercises

You can do simple exercises while sitting in your chair (for example, stretching or yoga).

Sitting Exercises:

  • Sit stand
  • Stretch for 10 minutes every 1 – 1.5 hours
  • If you can’t stretch much while sitting, try these seated exercises, sitting and standing (15-20 reps each)
  • Yoga for the office workers: Chair yoga poses (good balance and strength training + good for posture)
  • Office 365: Exercise at your desk

Here are some other ways to exercise at your conventional desks:

  • Sitting and standing, Stand up and do one jumping jack every 1 – 1.5 hours sitting time
  • Do some push-ups from your chair (easy to do 5-10), gradually increasing the time.

Standing Desks Vs Sitting

Exercise while you talk on the phone

Here are some examples of exercises that don’t require much space:

Walk around during calls Stretch Do push-ups Sit in a chair and rotate your ankles for 10 seconds each in 5 positions: forward, left, right, up, and down.

Walking (or riding a bike) to work can be good exercise too.

The key is that you have to get moving somehow. I think the most critical factor is not how much you move around on average (for example, walking for 3 or 4 minutes a few standing time a day), but instead making sure you get up every once in a while to do something else.

Note: I’ve only listed some good tips here. For more detailed advice, see this article.

FAQs

How long periods should you stand at a standing desk?

Standing at your desk for 15 minutes an hour can lead to a healthy life, according to a University of Waterloo professor. That’s great news because sitting all day is bad for us, and it turns out that experts were wrong about how long we should stand up per hour!

Sitting behind our desks all day doesn’t do anyone any favors – while some people might say 30 minutes isn’t enough time, the average person will get health benefits from standing every 60-90 minute interval.

Are standing desks a gimmick?

Standing desks offer seem like the perfect solution to bad back pain, but some research has found that they worsen lower back problems and are not a good choice for those who want to burn more calories.

Some researchers argue that standing up can help people’s weight loss by allowing them to break their sedentary cycle; it is just as easy for someone with chronic low-back issues or other health implications may find sitting down better suited without having any negative consequences.

Should you use a standing desk all day?

Standing up and moving more throughout the day can make your job easier, but it’s not just about work. Studied standing will positively impact circulation in your lower body, so you don’t get as stiff or sore later on during the night.

Standing also helps with blood flow to other parts of our bodies, reducing joint back pain from arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome too!

Standing at a desk is unhealthy for many reasons – even if you’re working hard, there are significant downsides like decreased circulation and aches all over due to less movement throughout the day. But what happens when we stand? Well, studies have shown that this would help promote better blood flow around your whole body.

What are the effects of prolonged sitting?

Prolonged sitting is detrimental to your health. Research has linked sitting with obesity and a cluster of other conditions, including high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, excess body fat around the waistline, and abnormal cholesterol readings that make up metabolic syndrome.

Conclusion

A standing desk is an alternative to the traditional home office desk that has been shown to promote better health. Standing desks are typically higher than sitting desks, which can be easier on your back and neck because you don’t have to stoop over as much when you’re working.

They also require less energy expenditure (because of their height), so they may also help with weight loss! If a standing desk isn’t suitable for you or wants more information about how it could impact your health, check out our in-depth guide here. We hope this article helped answer some questions about what a standing desk is and how it might work for you.

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