Balance sitting and standing at work for ideal body posture.
An Ergonomic workspace is the construction, manufacturing, and transportation of furniture to the premise as per the comfort of a worker or user. A user don’t adjust with the ergonomic furniture, whereas it is the other way around. Ergonomic furniture modernise the workspace and makes it spacious, systematic and attractive.
Ergonomic furniture is comfortable, convenient and comes in variety of options. It keeps the spinal cord naturally in ‘S’ shape and relaxes neck, arm, and shoulder muscles. Not only this it also enhance body movement and assist in maintaining ideal body posture.
Gradually, Ergonomic furniture is gaining popularity and because of its benefits, it is commonly being adopted by organizations and individuals. Majorly, Ergonomic furniture is used for desk jobs, letting users find his or her comfort to focus better on work. One of the type of Ergonomic furniture which is gaining popularity is “Standing Desk”.
Standing Desk
Understanding the disadvantage of sitting for hours while working, there originated a need for invention to eliminate existing problems by introducing a Standing desk.
Standing Desk is a category of Ergonomic furniture which let the user work comfortably even while standing. It is extremely beneficial for users who are suffering with lumbar pain or neck issues in prolonged sittings. To mention Standing desks are also available with the option of switching to sitting mode, if needed.
Tips to maintain body posture while working on a standing desk:
- Elbow at 90 Degree angle.
- Keyboard and Mouse should be at arm’s reach.
- The height of the Standing desk should be adjusted to a level where comfortably the user can see the screen, without hunching or bending the neck.
- Leaning on different feet, not just on anyone, but balancing it and changing the foot. One could also stand straight and put equal body weight on both the feet.
- Body posture should be changed frequently, a stool below the table can also be used by putting one leg over it and then switching legs.
- Shoes should be comfortable that support the user and make standing easy.
- One can also put off his or her shoes and use a mat. There are various mat types available in the market specifically for this purpose.
Types of Standing Desk
There are below types of Standing desks:
- Fixed Height Standing Desk: These are fixed desks as implied by the name. It allows the user to work in a standing posture, but doesn’t have an option of bringing it down so that he or she can also sit and work.
- Riser: This type of Standing desk is an addition to type 1. It is placed over a normal desk and can be adjusted to increase its height whenever the user wishes to stand and work.
- Best Height Adjustable Desk: This is the latest development in standing desks overcoming the problems of previous versions. In an adjustable height standing desk, the whole surface of the desk can be moved up or down electronically. It can be adjusted as per the height of the user and comfort, either way, sitting or standing.
Why is a Standing Desk Necessary in Regular Offices and Work From Home Setups?
Let us find out that the need for a Standing desk in offices and work from home setups in the below points:
- NO to whole day Sitting: The whole day sitting is not recommended and one should avoid minimizing the risk of Obesity or heart problems. Sitting for longs hours due to work pressure is extremely unhealthy, therefore with standing desks, it becomes possible to work while standing. Not only this to avoid long hours working but it is also suggested that one should take micro-breaks of 30 or 60 seconds.
- NO to whole day Standing: The whole day standing is also not recommended, it puts pressure on leg muscles, develops pain in veins. This could swell your foot and also make your knees weak. Also, some fine works or meticulous jobs can be performed better while sitting.
- To Strengthen the Ability to stand for Long: If a person would sit the whole day and work, then afterward he or she will face issues in standing. The general ability to stand decreases and after 15 minutes or so he or she starts looking for a seat to sit and relax. To keep leg muscles strong, it is important to use a standing desk so that gradually habit develops of standing.
A Standing desk should be used in a stable way, depending on the user. Could either be used by working while standing half of the time or by one-third of the total working hours. A tool or mobile application can also be used to track the same. The user needs to take micro-breaks also and move around to resume energy level for work efficiency. This develops a habit of working both ways and also keeps the user fit.
Conclusion
A Standing desk is coming in demand, overcoming the cons of a fixed desk. It gives a convenient option of working while standing, without disturbing the ideal posture. Defining time respectively of sitting and standing at work is relevant for a user to remain active and fresh.
About Author
I am Rashmi, a Content Planner at TechIngenious – a Mobile Application Development Company | Ph.D. in Marketing | I would love to express my knowledge by writing on the latest trends. Hope you like them, keep following for more.
