You’ve taken the first step to improve your health (and career!) and invested in a Standing Desk! If you’re smart, you invested in the RISEDESK Standing Desk - but we won’t take it personally if you went with another company.
There is very little point in purchasing a standing desk if you don’t use it correctly. As there is a correct and incorrect way to sit while working, similarly there is a correct way to stand at a standing desk. The best way to get the benefits of ergonomic furniture is to incorporate a balance between sitting and standing.
Standing like Quasimodo at your standing desk is unfortunately no better for your back than a completely sedentary lifestyle. Good posture at your RISE Standing Desk is essential to reap the full benefits of the ergonomic furniture you have invested in.
1. How often should you alternate between standing and sitting?
A lot of body pain is caused by maintaining the same posture/position for a long period of time. Like metal joints, a lack of movement over time will cause them to get rusty. A good thumb rule for the time you spent sitting vs. standing is 1:1 or 2:1. For every hour, you should be standing for 30-45 minutes, and sitting for 30 - 15 minutes. This is just a general rule of thumb and not medical advice. Please remember to take your health, injury, and well-being into effect when deciding when to sit and stand.
2. How to prevent body pains while standing?
Additionally, standing for long periods for a while may feel uncomfortable if it’s a new change you’ve recently adopted. Adopt the habit slowly until you begin feeling more comfortable. For example, for the first week stand for 20 minutes every hour. Increase in five-minute increments per your comfort levels.
Remember to take frequent breaks for stretching, drinking water, or getting some steps into your daily count!
3. How to adjust the desk to your height? What is the correct height for your standing desk?
Whether you’re leaning over your desk while sitting, or standing; you can cause incredible neck tension and pain in your shoulders, trapezius, and back, says Dr. Leo Rosmaryn, an orthopedic surgeon with Advanced Orthopaedics.
One of the best benefits of the RISE Standing Desk is the ability to steadily customize the height of the desk with ease. The ideal height of the standing desk will vary depending on your height.
The ideal desk height for a standing position is one where you’re keeping your back and neck straight and your shoulder’s back. Your forearms and wrists should be comfortably on the desk surface (ideally with a wrist pad), with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle. Try this exercise: Imagine a pencil between your shoulder blades, and squeezing your shoulder blades to hold the pencil up. You don’t have to maintain this posture, but it’s an excellent exercise to demonstrate to yourself what muscles you should be activating when maintaining a proper posture.
Your wrists should be parallel to the surface of the desk. Extending or placing your wrists in an unnatural position (either up or down) can cause tension, pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrists and forearms.
When looking at the monitor, the top of the screen should be at (or just slightly below) your natural eye level when you’re looking forward. Ideal posture is when you are looking down on the screen.
4. What if I’m a laptop user?
Are you a laptop user? Consider using a wireless keyboard and mouse, and treating your laptop as a monitor. This will promote the proper ergonomic furniture instead of having to extend your arms over the desk to use the laptop keyboard and touchpad. Use the RISEDESK Standing Desk Converter to place the laptop on to put it at eye level. This posture goes for when you’re sitting as well.
5. Is a standing desk worth it?
Given all this - you might be wondering; Is a standing desk worth it? If you have to alternate between sitting and standing, do I need to purchase a standing desk? The answer is very clear - yes. You shouldn’t have to choose between your health and your career. You should be able to prioritize both. Unfortunately, the effects of a sedentary lifestyle are detrimental. According to the World Health Organization - this lifestyle can cause mortality, double your risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity, and increase the risk of colon cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, lipid disorders, depression, and anxiety.
Not only will investing in a sit-stand desk have incredible impacts on your health, in the long term and short term, but you will also notice a boost in your career. Increased productivity, more energy, and increased confidence are just some of the benefits of increasing the amount of activity in your lifestyle!
RISE has THE best Standing Desk product and Ergonomic Chairs in Canada. Are you looking to upgrade your home office setup to put your health and your career first? Shop now at RISEDESK.io.
