The topic of good posture is common on this blog, but the behaviors associated with better posture have greater influence on your life than just keeping you out of back pain. In the following article from the New York Times, the author reviews some of the research relating to the benefits of one of these behaviors: using a standing desk.One of the more notable findings was how inactivity (sitting) changes the way your body uses and stores fat and sugar. Even with consistent exercise (3-5 hours per week) if you spend the rest of your day sitting, it can be challenging to reverse your body's metabolic functioning. Don’t get me wrong, exercise can make a significant difference in your body’s use of fat, but if you have some serious weight to lose, you may be missing a big piece of the puzzle if you are predominately sedentary. Even small changes in total activity such as adding stretching or walking breaks to your day can make a big difference.
What's With the Desk?
The standing desk is something that I regularly recommend because of its far-reaching implications for health. If these became commonplace in the workplace, our health could be dramatically improved. Luckily, standing desks are getting a little more attention as seen at Marine Elementary School in Minneapolis. In an effort to change the way children learn, Marine Elementary has been experimenting with stand-up desks for the last 5 years. While their findings are anecdotal, the research suggests improvements in the students’ ability to learn, focus, and retain information. While they have not looked at how standing influences weight issues, there is a host of research out there already on how small movements throughout the day can have a dramatic effect on weight. I went into this in my article In Related News: Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?, so take a look if you are interested.
All in all, we need to sit less, and the standing desk is the perfect tool for helping us to do so. What I like about the desks at Marine Elementary is the bar stool. Standing all day can be rough, especially if you have never done it before. Include a bar stool in the mix and now you can sit and stand as you please, gradually increasing your standing time. If you are thinking about using a standing desk, this is the set-up I would recommend. Just make sure the bar stool does NOT have a back to it, which will discourage you from sitting for too long.
Making a Change
While there are a number of daily habits one could adopt to help with posture, I think the standing desk is one of the best. If you have the luxury of choosing your own desk at work, it should not be too hard to make the switch. If, however, you are in an office desk, you may have to talk with management about what you can do to switch things up. Luckily, companies are becoming much more aware of how employee health and company performance are connected, so they may be open to discussing possible options! If, in the end, you are unable to stand up for work, it will be important to take those breaks during the day to get up and move around. Taking at least one break before and after lunch to stretch and walk around the office (maybe to get some water!) can be very helpful for posture, energy, and overall health. So if possible, look into the standing desk, but if not, do whatever you can to stand up…it will save your life!
No comments:
Post a Comment