Why It’s Healthier To Work Standing Up?

Research shows that telecommuting or working at home is on the increase. Many great businesses are currently built on or were started using high quality dedicated home workers. Homeworking is a modern phenomenon that has changed the world of work. The problem is that several studies show that working at home can mean that you spend more time seated then office based workers who move around the building more for face to face meetings, water cooler chat, break out chats etc… But, the truth is all office workers are at risk of spending too much time sitting but homeworkers may be at most risk.

And the problem with spending more time seated is that it can make you more susceptible to chronic diseases. Look at this study of 63,048 males aged 45-65 from the Australian State of New South Wales. They found that there was a, ‘steady stair-step increase in risk of chronic diseases the more participants sat’. In particular, they concluded that, ‘those who sat for more than four hours per day were significantly more likely to report having a chronic disease such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure,’ and those who sat for 6 hours were significantly more likely to report having diabetes. The effects become more severe the longer that you spend seated, with a study from the Sax Institute finding that adults who sat for over 11 hours a day had a 40 increased risk of dying in the next three years compared with those seated for less than four hours a day.

So, what’s the solution? The general advice is to try to incorporate mobility into your working day, by committing to go for a walk regularly; perhaps 5 minutes of walking per hour. This advice is echoed in the US Department of Labor’s Health and Safety Guide for office workers. They recommend that you alter your working posture throughout the day in the following ways:

Make small adjustments to your chair or backrest.
Stretch your fingers, hands, arms, and torso.
Stand up and walk around for a few minutes periodically.

They also recommend the use of a stand up workstation. Its not that crazy a thought really. Just picture artists painting at the easel and photographers; its very doable. But, the main point is that stand up work stations are not new age working, it is sanctioned by the US Department of labour.

Below you can see their recommendation for stand up working.

You need to buy yourself a stand up work-station like the one shown in the picture below. I’d recommend this one, called the Go Standing Desk by Stand Steady which you can buy on Amazon which attaches to an existing desk, which is why it’s more affordable. It has 100% positive ratings.

Figure 4. The user's legs, torso, neck, and head are approximately in-line and vertical

They recommend the following standing posture: ‘The user’s legs, torso, neck, and head are approximately in-line and vertical. The user may also elevate one foot on a rest while in this posture.’

Figure 3. Standing posture