When most of us left our office desks in March, we believed that the work from home situation will be resolved in a few weeks. But the pandemic had other plans and six months on, most of us are still working from home. This change has also made us realize the harms of sitting at a desk all day. It is said that sitting on a desk for long hours is as harmful as smoking. For most professionals, sitting on the desk for 8-9 hours was normal. However, it has many side effects on physical and mental health. This is one reason why a lot of professionals are choosing a standing desk model.
Many companies have started to use standing desks instead of tables and chairs. However, when you have the option of standing at work all day, you need to know how much is enough. Can you stand the entire day? Or should you spend a few hours sitting and others standing? How should you balance the two?
Experts state that no individual should stand for the entire day. It can be as tough on your body as sitting for too long. There are different risk factors of standing all day. If you stand for too long, it compresses the spine and will force your heart to work against gravity, it can also lead to lower back pain and cause cardiovascular problems. Anything in excess is not advisable but how long should you stand at a standing desk?
How long should you stand?
You should ideally spend half the day standing and half the day sitting at the desk. You can switch between the two every half an hour. 30 minutes are enough for you to make the switch. It might not be easy initially. That’s okay, you can start slow and then work your way up to the ideal hours of standing and sitting. You can stand for four hours a day and sit for another four hours but you should continue to switch between the two.
If you find it difficult to adapt to sitting and standing, you can make a slow start by getting up for some activities like taking calls. Walk around the room while you are on the phone. You can also stand up for lunch or coffee. Once you stand up from the seat, make it a point to continue working while standing. Then sit down for 20 minutes. Continue this cycle until you get used to standing desks.
It is normal to feel awkward initially but you will get used to it. Avoid the dangers of excessive standing or sitting by switching between the two. Take a quick stroll around the room whenever you stand up from the chair. A standing desk will have several benefits on your health and you will start feeling the benefits right away. Ditch the chair and adopt the desk that works best for your health and productivity.