Did you know everyone who has a sedentary lifestyle even at work is at more risk of health problems than the general population of those who don’t? To be even more specific, this long and growing list of assorted health hazards are now colloquially called ‘sitting diseases’. According to a Mayo Clinic top researcher, most people sit for an average of 7 to 8 hours a day.
Why’s Everyone Standing?
Luckily, just as some researchers are discovering potential health hazards, many provide possible solutions for tackling these seemingly never-ending problems, one of which is standing at work. Using a standing desk at work opens you up to a lot of health benefits. Whether you’re just curious or you don’t totally agree yet, below are some of the most interesting positive outcomes obtainable from using standing desks. You can also get a sit stand desk which can be used as both a standing desk and an office desk.
No More Bad Fats
Wait, are there even good fats? Seriously, there are. We have good cholesterol like high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and there are the bad guys, including low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density cholesterol (VLDL) and chylomicrons. They do their evil work by causing microscopic damages to small blood vessels within the body, leading to atherosclerotic conditions like coronary artery disease. If you find yourself sitting for prolonged periods during a day’s work, you might be unknowingly helping these nearly invisible miscreants complete their mission.
For this reason, medical gurus have advised that people should stand for at least 2 hours daily, especially at work. Standing helps to activate hormones like lipoprotein lipase, hormone-sensitive lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase. These enzymes collaborate to help your body break down excessive amounts of fats, reducing your chances of becoming obese or coming down with the so-called ‘sitting diseases’.
Reduced Blood Sugar Levels
Standing helps your body in a myriad of ways; you simply can’t count them all. Insulin is the hormone that helps drive hormones into cells, clearing them from the blood. Obesity triggers insulin resistance, which is not good news for your blood sugar levels. This more commonly leads to type II diabetes mellitus, which is often more difficult to treat than type I diabetes. So, if you are looking to cut your chances of having a life-long debilitating illness, consider using a standing desk at work.
Less Neck and Back Ache
Assuming standing position teaches your body, both consciously and subconsciously, to maintain a healthy posture. This way, there’s less pressure on sensitive parts of your spine, thereby reducing the straining of back muscles. These combine to significantly reduce neck pain and backache by more than 30 per cent!
Elevated Mood
Sitting for most parts of the day significantly slows everything about your body metabolism. Research has shown that after sitting for about 3 hours, the speed of enzymatic activities within tissues is significantly slowed, aggravated by reduced blood flow to brain and muscle cells.
The relative shortage of oxygen and nutrients to muscle cells precipitates muscle weakness which manifests as tiredness and fatigue. In conjunction with already established muscle tiredness, reduced blood flow to the brain significantly impairs your mood, making you less useful at work. Withstanding, however, all of this never happens.
Keeping a happy mood transmits to a lot of things in your work and personal life. You smile more, exude more confidence, and you definitely spread the love and positive energy around. That lightens up the workplace with a domino effect, significantly limiting stress levels.
More Energy, More Productivity
The cumulative benefits of less pain, elevated mood and fewer stress levels are that you remain motivated to work. More motivation means more alertness and focus. This has multiple benefits, the most prominent of which is getting more useful work done. It tells positively on your self-monitored feedback, leading you to even more productivity. And if you are an employee, there are higher chances your boss likes you even more for your input, and who knows, you may be in for some promotion shortly!
Conclusion
Using a standing desk will do you a lot of good, as you’ve seen from our discussion above. Health is the highest form of wealth, even if everyone doesn’t agree. Do things that will have positive cumulative effects on you in the long term. Using standing desks at work might turn out to be one of those positive things. So, could you not sleep on it? If you do have to sit for long periods of time, then make sure you get an ergonomic office chair.
