Sitting at a desk all day can cause all sorts of medical issues over time. Your body just isn’t designed to sit for too long. Sitting for extended periods of time has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and a shortened life span. You will also burn fewer calories making sitting a desk increase your likelihood for being obese. Unfortunately, desk jobs are a necessity in the business world. Luckily, standing desks are gaining more popularity as a replacement for the traditional sitting desk. Here are five advantages to using a standing desk.
1. It lowers your risk of obesity.
It only makes sense. If you’re standing, you’re burning more calories than if you are sitting at a desk all day. If your body is not burning calories, it’s turning them into fat, causing you to gain weight. Standing at a desk instead of sitting will reduce you risk for obesity and other metabolic issues that cause you to gain weight.
2. It will improve your overall health.
You can improve your health by standing at a desk instead of sitting. Actually, any sitting for long periods, whether it’s watching television or just sitting and reading, is bad for your health. Your body needs a certain amount of exercise to keep you healthy. Here are some ways sitting at a desk is bad for your health.
- Blood sugar levels: Diabetes is a result of unstable blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels are at their highest after eating when your body is digesting the food. Your body needs to be able to absorb and balance out the blood sugar levels. Sitting after eating will inhibit your digestion system’s ability to work effectively and will reduce your blood sugar levels. Standing at a desk, even if it’s just for a few hours, after eating, will help your body maintain its blood sugar levels.
- Heart Disease: Sitting in the same position for a long period of time will not allow some of your body’s internal organs to function normally. Restricted blood flow is one result that you could suffer from by sitting at a desk for too long. Sitting at a desk for long periods can also make your heart weaker by not giving it a chance to exert itself which could increase your risk of heart disease.
- Cancer: Since obesity can be one of the main triggers for causing cancer, and your risk of obesity is higher when you sit for too long, your risk of cancer could increase from any type of overly-sedentary lifestyle including sitting at a desk. While men are more at risk than women, studies have shown an increase in different forms of cancer from sitting for long periods of time.
3. Standing will reduce body aches.
Sitting can cause undue stress on your back, neck and shoulders which could lead to other chronic pain issues. You also aren’t able to effectively stretch your body when you are sitting in the same position for too long. Even standing intermittently will help to alleviate aches and pain.
4. A standing desk will give you more energy.
It will also put you in a better mood. Standing allows all of your body’s organs to function properly . Your lungs are able to fully expand, your heart is pumping, everything else is working as it should, and you feel good. Your productivity will also increase if you are standing instead of sitting because your mind and body are performing at their best.
5. You’ll live longer.
With all of the benefits of standing at a desk instead of sitting, you will live longer. Prolonged sitting of any kind will not allow your body’s natural defenses to be at their optimal performance level making you more susceptible to a plethora of health issues. Even standing for part of the day will increase your body’s ability to function effectively at fighting off disease. A healthy diet and the right amount of exercise have always been key contributors to a long, healthy life.
