- Drive to work – most likely get stuck in traffic and endure extra sitting.
- Spend the majority of the day glued to your computer screen and seat at the office.
- Arrive home and lounge on the couch until eventually retiring to bed.
Sound familiar? I used to, like 5 million others still do, spend roughly 12 hours a day sitting down, and if you take into account the 7-8 hours in bed that racks ups to a whopping 20 hours a day being inactive!“But I go to the gym everyday after work!” I hear you proclaim. I too spend 3-4 evenings a week at various kickboxing and fitness classes. Unfortunately, as more and more studies show, it’s not enough, and that exercise won’t undo the damage done by our chronic sitting.
Take a stand
It is clear that prolonged inactivity is bad. Not only from the aches in our necks and backs, but the mounting evidence highlighting our increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and other ailments the more stationary we are.So what’s a sitter to do? Taking quick walks or desk exercises are a good place to start, but I highly recommend the standing desk:
We’re regularly asked about our standing desks by clients who come into the office. With a press of a button the height adjusts and you can easily switch between sitting and standing.
Speaking from experience
In my previous work placement, I had started having to take days off work, booking more doctors appointments for back pain. My weight also gradually increased, which came as a surprise as I had adopted a much healthier diet and regular exercise routine. Since joining Deuce and taking on a standing desk, my back pain has reduced significantly and weight is slowly returning to what it was.But don’t just take my word for it. The BBC have carried out numerous experiments on this subject and even shown that the amount of calories burnt off in a year by standing a few extra hours a day equated to running 10 marathons!For those of you with wearable tech you can even get standing trackers and set goals to get out of your chair. The Apple Watch features a stand ring that tracks any stand over a minute whilst the Fitbit will remind you to stand every hour.
A worthy investment
I only stand for about 1-2 hours a day but feel much healthy and happier for it. I’m proud to say I haven’t taken a single sick day and if I start to feel tired, standing up to work helps me feel rejuvenated. In 2014, the UK took 10 million working days sick leave for back pain - resulting in a £1 billion loss of earnings. A standing desk may seem like a frivolous spend, but compared to the amount saved on sick days or extra profits brought in by increased working efficiency it’s definitely worth it. And it doesn't have to cost the earth to upgrade – Ikea now sell them in a range of colours to suit most offices.
Adapting offices
Standing desks have definitely become more popular, and we’re even starting to see further developments to aid movement around the office desk and keep workers active:
These treadmill desks may well be our next purchase! We took the stand and are seeing the benefits. Could your business do the same?
