What are the qualities of a healthy workstation
Sitting Vs Standing Desk?
| Type | Sitting Desk | Drafting Desk | Standing Desk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Height | 29" - 32" inches | 30" - 36" inches | 36" - 44" inches |
| Reccomended Break | Every 30 Minutes | Every 20 Minutes | Every 20 Minutes |
| Reccomended Chair | Office Chair | Drafting Chair | Drafting Chair |
Your legs will fit comfortably underneath the desk. There should be enough space across your legs when both feet are flat on the floor.
There should be a 90° - 110° degree angle between your forearm and arm should while seated your desk.
- We wrote all about the importance of ergonomic workstations. If you're interested in more tips on creating a healthy working environment.
Sitting Desk
Traditional desk is where most great art is made – writers, coders, illustrators.
Do you think George ll Martin is writing Game of Thrones using standing desk?
Who wants to come home from work and game on a standing desk?
Console gamers, that’s who.
WHAT WE LIKE
Compared to standing desk, traditional desk are cheaper in price.
Conventional office desk offer a better gaming experience. How many people do you know that game on a standing desk?
OH MY YIKES
Back Ache
Back-Knots
Sore Tailbone
Sore Shoulders
Stiff Neck
Sleepy Legs
Poking Out Neck
Sweaty Backside
Standing Desk
I’ve said this once on the blog and ill say it again… Sitting is the new smoking!
Stand up to sedentary diseases with ergonomic protection as a drafters chair or perhaps a standing desk?
According to the Mayo Clinic,
“Research suggests that sitting for long periods linked with health problems, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels.”
WHAT WE LIKE
Standing burns more calories than sitting.
Compared to sitting, standing stretches out the body & healthier blood flow.
Research shows that stand up desks can boost productivity and cognitive function.
Switching, I reported to a standing desk to improve sleep.
OH MY YIKES
Laptop + Standing Desk = Bad viewing angles and sore shoulders.
There is more hype around this standing desk trend in the workplace than research has to prove its efficacy.
Just like sitting for too long, standing for to long is not healthy. Standing in front of your desk is not the same as walking around and can lead to muscle-joint strain, back pain, swelling of the feet, and body fatigue.
Some studies found that using sit-stand desks at work does not not change workers’ productivity.
You’re still prone to bad posture using a standing desk.
Compared to sitting around all day, sitting desk is great. However, there are still concerns surrounding standing around all day.
- You Take on Too Much Too Soon and start using a standing desk full time after years of using a sedentary sitting workstation.
- Stillness is really what creates stiffness in the body and makes your feet achy. Standing desk will make you work harder to keep still and also create muscle imbalances.
- The expectation of change will happen overnight. Standing desk is not a cure all and will only help in combination with a healthy lifestyle.
Why Ergonomics Matter?
Since 1950, sedentary jobs have increased by 83%. Because of this trend, various health issue has linked to sedentary sitting.
Half of the jobs back then involved some sort of physical activity, today only 20% of the US workforce is as physically active.
Research from the American Heart Association illustrates a positive correlation between workstation ergonomics and reducing various health issues.
- From a stiff neck to tingly food, it can affect even high blood pressure when sitting at a non-ergonomic workstation.
Benefits of Workplace Ergonomics
Ergonomics Reduce Doctors Visits | Using an ergonomic chair reduces the chances of injury and chronic pain.
Ergonomic Improve Productivity | Designers create these chairs to promote a healthy posture that will keep you alert and more productive.
Good for Business | Ergonomic chairs in the workplace show the employees that their health and safety matters. This type of attention to detail boost staff morale and decreases the cost of workplace injuries.
Tips While Working At Sitting Desk
Don’t Sit Through The Pain
Take breaks every 30 minutes if you’re sitting at your desk. If you get distracted by any pain, it may be your body telling you it’s time to start your break early.
Sit up Straight With your Back Curved.
Evenly distribute your Weight
Your body will naturally form an “S” shape when you disperse your weight by firmly planting both feet on the ground.
- If you’re sitting in a chair that is too big and your feet dangle, getting a footstool will correct your posture.
Slow Motion Is better than No Motion
Moving just even a little at your workstation throughout the day will keep your body from getting sore and stiff.
When using a standing desk, it’s important to remember:
- Keep both feet flat on the floor
- Keep your head, neck, and torso aligned vertically.
- Use a rug/standing mat if your feet get tired.
Standing Desk Workstation Tips
Take A Rest From Standing
Don’t try to to stand all day, walk away from your desk every 20 minutes if your body aches.
Get A Pair of Comfortable Shoes Just For Your Workstation
Wearing uncomfortable foot-wear like high-heels, or cleats is a recipe for blisters.
If you’re not committed enough to pick up a pair of indoor shoes, try a pair o gel inserts.
Evenly distribute your Weight
We should firmly plant both feet on the ground. If you’re standing on a hard surface, using a standing mat or rug will save your feet from fatigue.
Slow Motion Is better than No Motion
Moving just even a little at your workstation throughout the day will keep your body from getting sore and stiff. When using a standing desk, it’s important to remember:
- Keep both feet flat on the floor
- Keep your head, neck, and torso aligned vertically.
- Use a rug/standing mat if your feet get tired.
Workstation best practices
Sitting or Standing; the practices covered below are worth trying.
Stay Eye Level With Your Screen
As with a sitting workstation, it important to have the top of your monitor at eye level.
If your using multiple monitors place make the largest screen as your main and secondary screen in portrait position to reduce neck strain or awkwardly twisting your body too much.
- Distant: The monitor should be about 18-24″ inches in front of you (Arms Length).
- Monitor Angle: Your screen should be at an angle between 10° – 20°.
- Height: Your screen monitor should line up at your eye level to reduce neck strain.
Computer Glasses To Reduce Eye Strain, Especially At Night
Save your eyes! Most things with a screen emit Blue light emitted, it has shown this to cause of tired eyes, suppress melioration production, and even blindness.
Keep Your Most Used Items At Arms Reach
Keep your most used objects, such as your phone, notepad, water bottle or printed materials — near prevent excessive stretching.
Staying hydrated will do two things;
- Keep your hydrated of course and also keep you frequently heading to the restroom.
- Which will act as a needed break from being sedentary.
Organize your workstation into different zones.
Primary Zone: Your Mouse & Keyboard
2nd Zone: Phone, headphones, bottle of water
3rd Zone: Computer monitor, glasses, notebook
Remember that Done Is Better Then Perfect! Implementing just one of these practices will do some good.
- Your legs will fit comfortably underneath the desk.
- You should have enough space across your legs when both feet are flat on the floor.
However... If you want to go down the path less traveled, I created a DIY Walk-through on how to create your own desk on the cheap (Standing or Traditional) using a butchers block and plumbing pipes.
- Yes, there are alternatives to standing desk that are affordable and mobile.
Related Questions
Every see someone using their laptop? As mobile as these devices are, they have been an ergonomic design challenge since.
Without proper angle views, the laptop user will have to hunch over and contort to whatever viewing angle's not tainted by light.
Luckily there are solutions to this problem depending:
- If your main issue being hurt wrist; get a lap top stand to improve the typing angle
- If your main issue being distance. You can use a stand to angle a laptop for viewing and use an external keyboard to optimize the distance between the monitor and where you type.
- If your main issue being that your lazy. You can get a laptop tray and work from your bed all day.
Your legs will fit comfortably underneath the desk. You should have enough space across your legs when both feet are flat on the floor.
There should be a 90° - 110° degree angle between your forearm and arm should while seated your desk.
- We wrote all about the importance of ergonomic workstations. If you're interested in more tips on creating a healthy working environment.
Compared to sitting around all day, the sitting desk is great. However, there are still concerns surrounding standing around all day.
- You Take on Too Much Too Soon and start using a standing desk full time after years of using a sedentary sitting workstation.
- Stillness is really what creates stiffness in the body and makes your feet achy. Standing desk will make you work harder to keep still and also create muscle imbalances.
- The expectation of change will happen overnight. Standing desk is not a cure all and will only help in combination with a healthy lifestyle.
SOURCES
Clinic, Mayo. “Mayo Clinic Minute: Tips for Transitioning to a Standing Desk.” YouTube, 24 Feb. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjyhmguQ1ak.
Insiders, Med-School. “The TRUTH About STANDING DESKS.” YouTube, 15 Dec. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhkigA368mE.
: Association, American Heart. “The Price of Inactivity.” Heart.Org, 26 Oct. 2015, www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity/FitnessBasics/The-Price-of-Inactivity_UCM_307974_Article.jsp.
linic, Mayo. “On Your Feet! Set up a Standing Workstation.” Mayo Clinic, 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/standing-workstation/art-20088544.
Products, Vera. “Versa Products.” Vimeo, 2019, vimeo.com/versaproducts.
Reints, Renae. “The Blue Light Emitted From Electronics Can Cause Accelerated Blindness, Study Finds.” Fortune, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2018, fortune.com/2018/08/15/blue-light-blindness-study/.
Chambers, April J., et al. “The Effect of Sit-Stand Desks on Office Worker Behavioral and Health Outcomes: A Scoping Review.” Applied Ergonomics, vol. 78, July 2019, pp. 37–53, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003687019300304?via%3Dihub, 10.1016/j.apergo.2019.01.015.
Chau, Josephine Y., et al. “More Standing and Just as Productive: Effects of a Sit-Stand Desk Intervention on Call Center Workers’ Sitting, Standing, and Productivity at Work in the Opt to Stand Pilot Study.” Preventive Medicine Reports, vol. 3, June 2016, pp. 68–74, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4733097/, 10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.12.003.
Chew, Jonathan. “Standing Desks May Not Be Healthier Than Sitting All Day.” Fortune, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2016, fortune.com/2016/03/18/standing-desks-study/.
Claude
ChairPickr | "Writer"
Hello, My name is Claude and I enjoy sitting comfortable. Research into what separates the good from the bad in the matter of chairs started when I made a new year’s resolution to have better posture.
You clicked here to find that first-rate chair. Why not stay and learn some self care?