The lifestyle has become more sedentary in recent years. It has reduced physical activities at an alarming rate. As per the Australian health survey of 2011-2012, 60% of Australian adults do less than the recommended 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity per day. 70% of the Australian citizens fall into a category of a sedentary lifestyle or low physical activity.
There is a significant increase in the younger generation developing obesity and diabetes due to sitting glued to one place all day. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that sedentary life is throwing an epidemic of health issues on the working population.
You can keep all these health issues away by simply changing the work pattern that you follow. Instead of sitting the whole time, you can stand and work for some portion of the day. Standing desks provide a lot of health benefits which is why you should consider adding them to your office.
The Damaging Sedentary Lifestyle
If you go back in history, human beings are not naturally made to sit in one place all day. However, with all the physical work being replaced by technology, the necessity to move around has diminished.
Even if you exercise daily, there’s still a risk of developing chronic health problems if you work all day sitting in one place. It can lead to heart diseases, diabetes and weaken your muscular strength. The result is an increase in poor physical and mental health.
You need to curb your habits or change your working style to make it healthier. Adding a standing desk to your workspace can do wonders.
The Benefits of a Standing Desk
Instead of sitting all day, you could use standing desks and work in an upright position. After every couple hours, if you do an hour of work while standing, that would reduce the risk of contracting many health problems.
You can follow a routine where you consciously remind yourself to correct your posture, change your work position, and decide on some daily tasks that you should do in a standing position only. You can keep alternating between sitting and standing and thus stay healthy.
Burn the Fat
Using standing desks will help you burn roughly 88 calories an hour. The metabolism gets a good boost if you work in a standing posture for a relatively good amount of time. That will keep obesity in check.
Healthy Bones and Muscles
If you have a terrible posture while sitting, it eventually tightens your muscles, thus resulting in lower back pain and stiffness in the neck. Even the wrist and elbows may develop problems if you spend 8-10 hours in the same position. It leads to blood clots and varicose veins.
If you practice the habit of alternating work position between standing and sitting, your neck, back, and leg muscles will stay in good health.
Cardiovascular Health
A sedentary lifestyle can reduce your lifespan by adversely affecting your cardiovascular health. Standing keeps the blood flowing as opposed to blood pooling in different parts of the body. It helps with better blood flow and regulation throughout the body, thus keeping your heart under less strain.
Mental Health
Working in a standing position improves blood circulation, which then boosts your mood. It helps regulate work-related anxiety and stress. Physical movement keeps our mental health good and thus has proved to improve productivity by a considerable margin.
An addition of standing desks into your home office will help you take care of your health, despite the many reasons you have for not taking good care of your body. The simple act of alternating between standing and sitting while you work has the potential to increase your healthy life span.