Top Standing Desk Mistakes To Avoid
You may have heard about sitting being the new smoking. Sitting causes as much harm to your body like smoking and can lead to early death. Alarming, isn’t it? Professionals who sit at their desks for eight to ten hours regularly need to take this as a sign to stand up for their health. Standing desks bring an ideal change in the office and allow you to switch to an active life from a sedentary lifestyle. Studies have shown that prolonged sitting can be dangerous for your health. Constant sitting can lead to inactivity and also cause health issues like type 2 diabetes and heart diseases.
Sitting can put pressure on your musculoskeletal structure of the body and it can lead to chronic neck pain, back pain, and several other discomforts in the body. Instead, if you stand while you work, it will benefit your physical and mental health. When you reduce the sitting time, you see noticeable differences in your health. It will encourage movement while you work and you will be able to enjoy a better work experience. There are some standing desk mistakes that keep you from enjoying the optimal health benefits of standing while you work. If you use a standing desk or are planning to buy one, be aware of the mistakes that a lot of us commonly make and should be avoided.
Avoid doing this when using standing desks
Not maintaining the right desk height
It is important to set an appropriate desk height. Whenever you work on the desk, you should not feel any discomfort. If you do, it means that the height is not right for you. How you place the monitor and keyboard will determine your efficiency at work. You can measure the desk height using your monitor and keyboards. You must set a height that lets you maintain the elbow at a 90-degree angle while keeping the screen slightly below the eye level. If the monitor is too high or too low, it will affect your productivity and you will not be able to make the most of the standing desk.
Excessive standing
Too much of anything is harmful to your health. If you stand for long with the wrong posture, it can lead to various health issues like neck pain and back pain. It is recommended to stand for four hours on a workday but it should not be constant standing. You must take breaks between work and transition between sitting and standing.
Improper screen position
Professionals who often face neck and back pain should take a look at the position of the screen. If the monitor screen remains very low, it can lead to acute pain. If you have to look down at the screen while working, it can cause upper back pain and could affect your posture. You must keep the screen at eye level so that you do not tilt your head when working. Consider using accessories to adjust the screen at the right level. You will notice an ease in the way you work if the screen is positioned correctly.
Standing in the same position for long hours
While standing can be beneficial for your body, excessive standing in the same position could do more harm than good. Standing desks do encourage movement but you must not stay in the same position for long hours. You need to use the muscles to keep your body active as you stand. If you stand without any movement, it will hurt the foot and joints. Hence, remember to move regularly to reduce body pain when working.
Using a hard surface to stand
The biggest advantage of using a standing desk is to ensure optimum blood flow. The benefits will be of no use if you are standing on a rough and hard surface for a long time. This can lead to joint pain which is why you must use a standing mat for the best performance.
Inappropriate wrist position
If you spend a lot of time typing, you might suffer from wrist pain in case you do not have the right wrist position. When using a standing desk, you need to maintain an optimal wrist position and they should not be bent upward when using the keyboard. Always maintain an 180-degree angle with the wrists and your forearms. You can also use a keyboard pad if the desk height is ideal.
Bad posture
A lot of us overlook the importance of posture when working, however, to maintain your health and wellbeing you must always concentrate on your posture. This will help prevent neck pain, back pain as well as other discomforts in the body. When you hold the body straight, it will improve the circulation of blood. It is important to maintain an appropriate posture with a standing desk to improve productivity and increase the energy level while working. Hence, remember to stand at the desk with the right posture at all times.
Right from maintaining the right height to an appropriate posture, these are a few things you must keep in mind when using a standing desk. When you maintain the desk at the right position and set it at an appropriate level, it will ensure better performance and productivity. It is important to choose the right accessories when working on a standing desk. Choose a desk that will accommodate all the accessories you need on a regular basis.
Do not make the mistake of standing at your desk right away. Start slow and take one day at a time. You might find it awkward initially but it is important to take it slow. Stand for 20 minutes initially and sit for 40 minutes. Get up and take a quick walk before you begin work again. Regular breaks during work will ensure blood circulation and improve your health. A lot of organizations have adopted standing desks so if you use one, you must remember to avoid these mistakes at all costs.