Stand up to sedentary habits
Sitting in the same cramped position, day after day, can have negative effects on workers’ health
There’s a revolution coming soon to an office near you, as the standing desk concept catches on with workers who’ve been used to sitting for hours in front of computer screens and want to try a different approach to comfort and productivity.
Though some researchers believe the benefits are possibly being oversold, the desks are becoming more popular.
Ross Thomson of Joyworkz has been assessing workstations for over 10 years, providing advice for workers based on their needs — and their employers’ willingness to fulfil those needs.
“Without a doubt, our bodies are designed to move a lot more than they actually do these days, and when someone i s sitting in the same cramped position, day after day, negative effects on their health can be very real and tangible,” he says.
“We call this sedentary behaviour. “We even send our co- workers emails, rather than stand up and walk to see them”
When Thomson first began suggesting the option of standing desks to the companies he works with he researched the topic extensively and consulted with physiotherapists and other health professionals.
“The physios were especially interested because they work a lot with hard- to- treat back pain and in standing desks they saw an opportunity to help their patients regain lost mobility and manage discomfort better,” he says.
He points to research that appears to show that full- time sitters have higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and some kinds of cancers.
“Such a lot comes down to moving regularly,” he says.
“Even people who sit all day and then go to the gym for an intensive workout probably aren’t going to reap quite the same benefits as their standing- desk colleagues.
“Standing desks are most effective when used in conjunction with other lifestyle changes, such as walking to work instead of driving, climbing stairs, eating better and losing weight.”
Thomson says that he’s been pleasantly surprised at how many office workers he talks to are willing to give the new concept a try.
“It helps that the prices are coming down as standing desks become more commonplace,” he says.
As people begin breaking their old, sedentary habits, he suggests standing for four to five hours initially — ideally wearing comfortable, supportive footwear. He says workers unused to standing in the office could probably benefit from anti- fatigue mats, which mitigate the effects of the hard floors that are often found in working environments.
Employers need to work with staff who are interested in standing desks and assess their needs in conjunction with advice from health professionals.
Not all of the potential standers will have lower back- pain i ssues. There are a number of other conditions for which this change can be beneficial — some may be postural, while others are significantly more serious.
RNZ’s Morning Report copresenter, Susie Ferguson, recently revealed that she was to undergo surgery in the hope of ending a longstanding battle with endometriosis, a common and extremely painful condition that affects the lining of the uterus.
Ferguson said listeners watching the show on Facebook may have noticed her using a standing desk in an effort to lessen the discomfort, as she’d heard from other sufferers that their pain wasn’t quite as severe when keeping upright. She says the desk, and the comfort of a hot- water bottle, got her through her final days at work before the hysterectomy.
Thomson has noticed that the desks are increasingly popular throughout the broadcasting industry, especially in radio stations, because speakers can often sound more energised and direct, when standing rather than sitting.
In the United Kingdom some schools have trialled standing desks and reported a good response from students, but they have yet to catch on with educational facilities in New Zealand.
Jo O’Connor, training manager at Otago Southland Employers’ Association is a convert to standing desks, saying that the positive effects in her own case have been notable.
“Funnily enough, I’ve found that it works best for me to sit in the morning and then, in the early afternoon when sluggishness can come on, I switch to standing and I always feel a sudden rush of energy at that point. It’s as if my blood is somehow circulating better.
O’Connor has found that the system works well for her with the desk fixed at a certain level, and she moves her adjustable chair up and down.
“Our Dunedin office now has them too and I know of some employers who are putting an extension on the top of existing desks; sort of like standing a coffee table up there to provide height,” she says.
O’Connor says that some employees may be disturbed by the whirring sound of electronic standing desks going up and down, but new models are increasingly quiet when operating.