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Sitting for an extended time can be the reason for many issues such as neck and back pain, worsening of your posture and carpal tunnel syndrome. Extended sitting is also a risk factor for obesity, excess body fat around your waist, high cholesterol levels and high blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, most of us use computers for work, which is why it’s almost unavoidable spending hours and hours of sitting.
If you want to do something about your health and prevent back pain, you should consider stand up desks. Using these desks correctly can significantly help you improve your posture. This type of desk reduces the amount of time you spend seated and can be optimally adapted to your height and needs. Here’s everything you need to know about this modern office solution.
Is an Ergonomic Standing Desk Worth It?
If you still haven’t experienced some of the health perils of office life, you’re probably wondering is it worth to explore the range of stand up desks. Just as we are not built to stand the entire time, we are also not built to sit for a long period. Your standing desk (adjusted to your height and needs) allows your body to assume a neutral position which can help your spine muscles relax. And the same goes for your arms. Notice how frequently you feel pain in your wrists and underarms, mid-back and hips?
Another thing that makes these desks investment-worthy is the fact that you can move more when you use it. And when you move, you put yourself in a better mood. You will not feel as if you are tied to your chair. Your performance can improve and you will notice that you’re finishing your task faster and better. And best of all – you feel more energised at the end of the day.
Then, there’s also the fact that standing is a light form of activity, as opposed to sitting which doesn’t require much energy. So, by using a stand desk, you’ll be able to burn more calories during the day, and this can help prevents your body from gaining weight as well.
Test The Waters
The best way to see if you’re going to like using a standing desk is to give it a try. The standing desk Australia market offers you a lot of models for various prices. But if you’re not ready to invest yet, you can try to lift your monitor with a few books and see how it works. However, this isn’t the most attractive or practical solution. You can also pick an adjustable workstation, so you could gradually get used on both sitting and standing while working. You deserve to have a healthy posture without any pain in your back or muscles. Make your working hours pleasant and productive.
How to Use a Standup Desk Correctly?
If you decided to get yourself a standup desk, it’s very important to use it the right way so that you can reap the benefits. When working on your standing desk, your head, neck, torso and legs should be kept in a vertical line (shoulders relaxed and neutral spine). When standing, make sure you use a footrest to shift your weight from one leg to another. Your shoes should also be comfortable and give you proper support. Here are some adjustments you need to make to ensure your desk is ergonomically set up.
- Desk
When choosing your stand desk, you should pick a model that offers enough space to fit your monitor right in front of you. The monitor should be approximately 50 cm away from you. This way, you will have your wrists on the desk straight and a bit higher than your elbows. Rounded front desks would reduce the pressure on your wrists.
- Monitor
The monitor should, as mentioned, should be placed in front of you, an arm’s length away. Make sure the top of the screen is at or slightly below your eye level. The brightest light source should come to the side. If you use two monitors equally, place them close to each other. They should be placed on an angle with their edges touching. In case you use one monitor more than the other, place the one you use more directly in front of you, and the other one can go to the side.
- Keyboard and mouse
The mouse and keyboard should be placed on the same surface at a distance that lets you put your elbows close to your body. When using the keyboard and monitor, your wrists should be straight and your upper arms should be close to your body.
Should I Use My Standing Desk the Entire Day?
The answer is no. Even if someone tells you to do it, you won’t be able to endure standing the entire workday. Our bodies are not designed to stand all day long either. In fact, sooner or later you will start feeling lower back pain and a terrible urge to sit down and rest. Plus, there’s also the fact that standing all day has certain health risks too. Make sure you sit down after a while so your body can rest.
If you’re a beginner, standing even for one hour may be a challenge. You will easily get exhausted and you’d feel like sitting down. These desks have no armrests, so you might want to sit down briefly to rest your legs and arms. If this is new to you, set an alarm to stand for 10-15 minutes and then return to sitting. Slowly, you can increase the intervals until you get used to standing and working. After a while, you will not feel tired and standing will come naturally to you.
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