It’s pretty well established that sitting all day is really, REALLY bad for you. Fine, you think, I’ll get a standing desk. Turns out, standing all day is not that great for you either.
Here’s what you need to know: what’s bad for us is being too sedentary….and that can happen in either a sitting or standing position. Having a standing desk can aid in getting us to move more. I find alternating between sitting and standing throughout the day to be the most effective. Here are a few of my tried-and-true methods to ensure that A. I’m using my standing desk, and B. I’m using it in a way that’s beneficial to my health.
- Use it when the slump hits. Many of us hit a wall sometime in the afternoon. As soon as I feel that coming on, I immediately shift to standing up for a bit. It helps get my blood flowing, which gives me a burst of energy. If you have trouble waking up in the morning, use it then.
- Move while you stand. I’m not saying you have to do squats (nor will I confirm or deny whether I’ve done them at my desk), but little movements like shifting side to side can help take the pressure off your joints.
- Plan your standing around your day. If I have a lot of emails to catch up on or documents to review, I find standing a better position. But for days when there is a lot of writing to do, sitting may be better (just take breaks to walk to the printer or get some water). That said, sometimes if I’m having writer’s block and just staring at a blinking cursor on a white screen, I will switch to standing, which helps me get ideas flowing. Another idea: if you have a lot of meetings with short chunks of time in between, set your desk to standing at the beginning of the day – that way when you come into your office from a (sitting) meeting, you are already prepped to stand while you tackle a few quick tasks.
Do you have a standing desk at work? Would you recommend it to a friend?
