Are you tired of sitting for over 8 hours at your desk? Well, there could be a solution. Have you ever thought of investing in a standing desk?

It may not only benefit your posture but also your health. In fact, the American Cancer Society has established a link between sitting and obesity due to prolonged sitting burning calories at a slower rate.

There is a lot of evidence out there suggesting that standing is better and that sitting could impair mortality rates, which could be seen as scare mongering. However, here at DLC, we’re taking a non-biased approach and looking at the possible benefits of a standing desk.

Lower your risk of weight gain and obesity

We all know that exercise is the most effective way to burn calories but standing can also help.

Research shows that compared to an afternoon of sitting, you can burn over 170 additional calories in the same amount of time just by standing.

Could lower blood sugar levels

A study by Buckley, Mellor, Morris and Joseph (2014) looked at the effects of standing for 180 minutes after lunch on 10 office workers.

They found that this reduced their blood sugar levels by 43% compared to sitting for the same amount of time.

Another study by Thorp, Kingwell, Sethi, Hammond, Owen and Dunstan (2014) looked at 23 workers and found that alternating between standing and sitting every 30 minutes throughout the working day reduced blood sugar spikes by 11% on average.

Therefore, it’s clear to see that even a little movement throughout the day can reduce blood sugar spikes.

But why is this spike in blood sugar a concern? Well, this could be because of the known link between blood sugar and type 2 diabetes.

 

Could reduce back pain

Back pain is one of the most common aliments associated with sitting for long periods, especially for those in office based roles and this may be why many studies have looked into this issue.

A further study by Thorp, Kingwell, Sethi, Hammond, Owen and Dunstan (2014) found that participants saw a 32% improvement in lower back pain after several weeks of using a standing desk.

Another study by CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) found that using a standing desk can reduced upper back and neck pain by 54% after only 4 weeks.

A great find for those who suffer chronic back pain.

Could help improve your overall well being

A seven week study by Pronk, Katz, Lowry and Payfer (2011) found that participants using standing desks were less stressed and tired, than those who remained seated throughout their working day.

It’s also worth noting that 87% of those who used standing desks reported a burst of energy throughout the day.

However, when returning to their old ways, their mood reportedly reverted back to their original state.

It won’t affect your daily tasks

You could be inclined to believe that standing could impair the way you do tasks such as typing, however a study by Husemann, Von Mach, Borsotto, Zepft and Scharnbacher (2009) found that when 60 office workers used a standing desk for a total of 4 hours a day, there was no impact on their typing technique or speed.

So, there’s no excuse for taking longer to type up those notes.

Now you’ve read the potential benefits of a standing desk, why not give it a go? You could always test the waters and see what the future holds with life without a chair…