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10 Benefits of An Adjustable Standing Desk That Make Them Worth It

Posted on by Marlinda Davis

There has been a recent shift from sitting at a desk all day to incorporating standing and movement throughout the day. To make this possible, many people turn to adjustable standing desks to make the transitioning much easier.

But for many of us who really would prefer to sit, knowing the benefits of an adjustable standing desk might convince us to join the movement.

Health Benefits of An Adjustable Standing Desk

Many of the advantages of using an adjustable standing desk stem from health benefits.

1) Reduced Risk of Obesity

A study conducted by the Mayo Clinic reported that standing and moving throughout the day is more beneficial than a vigorous workout after sitting all day. Other studies support their findings and suggest that vigorous exercising does not reverse the effects of sitting for prolonged periods throughout the day.

2) Reduced Risk of Gaining Weight

A 2014 study on Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that standing burns more calories. Depending on the amount of time you spend standing you can burn more than 170 extra calories per day. That’s over 1,000 extra calories per week!!

3) May Reduce Blood Sugar

Large blood sugar spikes are bad for our health. Studies suggest that standing decreases blood sugar spikes by 43% for people who stood for 180 minutes (3 hours) after eating lunch. The lower the blood sugar spike the better it is for your health.

4) Reduced Risk of Heart Diseaseadjustable_standing_desk_health_benefits_of_using_an_adjustable_standing_desk

It is common knowledge that sitting all day is bad for the heart. This is because, over the years, there have been tons of studies to prove this to be true.

Furthermore, these studies have also found that the negative effects on your heart are not improved by vigorous exercise.

Experts have reported that prolonged sitting through the day without breaks can increase your risk of heart disease by 147%.

5) Reduce Back Pain

Several studies report that you can improve your back pain by 32% after a few weeks of using an adjustable standing desk.

The CDC backs these findings up by reporting that you can improve your upper back health by 54% after using one of these desks for 4 weeks.

When study participants stopped using a standup desk, their back pain went back to the way it was prior after 2 weeks.

6) Improve Your Mood and Energy

In a recent study, participants who used standing desks reported feeling more energetic and less stressed. In addition, 87% of these participants reported an increase in vigor and energy throughout the day.

When the participants returned to their regular seated desks, they reported that everything went back to normal. In other words, their energy, mood, vigor, etc. decreased.

Other studies have also proven that prolonged sitting is linked to depression and anxiety.

7) May Prolong Your Life

With all of the many positive health benefits of incorporating a standing in your daily lifestyle, one can almost assume that you will live longer since you will be experiencing better health.

The good news is that this isn’t just an assumption. Some recent studies have linked prolonged sitting with early death because it increases the occurrence of deadly diseases such as cancer and heart disease,

Researchers suggest that a person who lives a sedentary lifestyle increases their risk of early death by 49%.

The good news is that by decreasing your sitting time by 3 hours per day, you may increase your life expectancy by 2 years.

8) Reduce Risk of Type 2 Diabetes and Other Metabolic Disorders

You might be surprised to know this but sitting for prolonged periods actually inhibits your body’s ability to regulate sugar in the bloodstream and disables its ability to absorb glucose. This leads to metabolic syndrome which if left untreated can develop into Type 2 diabetes.

9) Reduce Risk of Cancer

Scientists have proven that some cancers are linked to prolonged sitting and an overall lack of activity such as breast and colon cancers. They also suggest that other cancers such as lung, prostate, endometrial and ovarian cancers are similarly affected by a sedentary lifestyle.

Non-Health Benefits of Using An Adjustable Standing Desk

10) Increase Productivity

When you stand your body and mind are more alerts. You also have better blood flow around your body and to your brain.

As a result, your mind is able to focus better which makes you more productive.

I hope you see how much your life is positively affected by adding a couple of hours of standing into your lifestyle. If you have any more benefits we’d love to hear them in the comments below.

If you are looking for an adjustable standing desk to improve your life right away, click the button below to see our #1 recommendation for you. Don’t wait, your health is too important and some effects take a bit of time before you experience their full affects!

Click here to see our #1 Recommended Adjustable Standing Desk

10 Comments

  1. It is really useful to have an adjustable standing desk to be used when we have been seated too long at work. I used to work long hours and sometimes I stand up after a while and still do work with the computer screen not at the proper eye level. 

    This adjustable standing desk should be useful for me and especially looking at the benefits that comes with it.

    • Yes, I can relate to that as well. It is tough on the back too. I hope that you can incorporate a standing desk into your work environment soon.

  2. I haven’t worked in an office in about 10 years now, but about a year before I left I was given an adjustable desk. I was having arm, shoulder and wrist pain from working at a seated position all day. 

    I don’t remember the brand I was given, but at the time it was a fairly new concept. When I stood to work for at least an hour at a time, my pain was reduced. 

    Plus, physically and mentally it was just nicer to stand throughout the day. I wholeheartedly agree with using an adjustable desk (especially if your company has the option to pay for it).

    Did you find any information on ergonomics for using the adjustable desk?

    • Hey Lisa!

      Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Yes, I will be sharing more on that as I continue to grow this site. Check back later for more information 🙂

  3. I’m a nurse who recently got a desk job in the Occupational Health and Safety Department of my health center. I used to work in ER where I was very active during my work shift. ie. running around on a constant basis…barely had time to sit during a 12-hour shift. 

    Now it’s quite the opposite: most of the time, I am sitting at my desk. I must say I find it to be a significant change. I thought the stability would help my health. 

    However, your article has opened my eyes. I was wondering if you had any idea of how one could bring this issue up to one’s manager, to transition from a sitting to a standing desk station. 

    In my case, I’m sure it will likely require a medical note stating I must be standing during my working hours, for x or y reason for the health center to accommodate me, which is sad, as I find it would be extremely beneficial to prevent many diseases you mentioned in this article.

    • Hey Didi! Thanks for sharing your experience with us and thanks for being a health care provider. 🙂

      Its difficult to say. I’ve always been a straightforward, to the point kind of person so I would likely ask my boss directly.

      Even if they say no, then I would ask if there’s anyone else I can talk to about it, likely the purchasing department.

      If they say no…well…I can say this…change takes time and sometimes you have to keep asking. Your other option is to get it yourself which most people do.

      If you do that, they won’t be able to tell you to not do it because you are not hindering your performance and as a matter of fact you’ll likely be improving your performance which any business will enjoy.

      Hope this helps 🙂

      Marlinda

  4. It’s nice to know that using standing desks can also help in preventing diabetes. I’d like to know more about that because I’m planning to set up a home office soon. Perhaps I should have two desks so that I could switch between sitting and standing whenever I want.

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