Would You Rather Be Sitting Or Standing While You Work?

‘Sitting is the new smoking’ – Nilofer Merchant

And how true is this quote, isn’t it? Sedentary lifestyle has not only made people lethargic but also prone to sickness. Thanks to the standard office seating environment, that gives you no other option than to be seated all day while you work. While you may prefer working that way, but quite often we lose track of the adverse effect it has on our back or spine.

However, things have started to change with the invention of a standing desk. You must be wondering what is a standing desk and how does it work? As oppose to sitting and working, a standing desk is built to read, write or work on the computer while standing in an upright position. Depending on the construction of a standing desk, it is either constructed at a feasible height or can be adjusted as per your preference. The entire idea of it is to make you active and promote a healthy working environment.

While there are many advantages of using a standing desk, a particular set of audience despise it due to several other reasons.

Nevertheless, let’s have a look at both the aspect, if you are thinking to transition to a standing desk.

Benefits of Using a Standing Desk:

1. Active and Alert: A standing desk helps you to stay alert all day long along with ensuring proper flow ofblood to your body. It also keeps you active and sharp all the time.

2. Core Strength and the Right Posture: It also helps in maintaining a good posture, makes your core strong and helps you achieve the appropriate posture.

3. Burns Calories: While it’s true that you burn calories even while you sit, how about burning more by standing and working. In fact wearing monitoring devices like Fitbit and sport bands while standing, can give you the exact calorie count for the day.

Drawbacks of Using a Standing Desk:

1. Leg or feet soreness: One of the biggest disadvantages of using a standing desk is sore feet. Legs and feet tend to swell and pain when you stand for long hours.

2. Good for Desktops: A standing desk does not work well with a laptop. As the space between your screen and keyboard can be significantly smaller, it is difficult to work with a laptop on a standing desk. However, desktops work well with a stand-up desk.

3. You may get varicose veins: Standing for too long may increase the chances of getting diagnosed with varicose veins. It is nothing but a persistent swelling of veins on the inside of the ankle, calves or the foot area that can make walking uncomfortable.

4. Inconvenience For Many: Whether working round the clock or even a 9 to 5 job, it may be just inconvenient for many people to embrace the standing desk culture.