Do Standing Desks Hold Water?

24-12-23 00 / episode: 342

I've heard that there's a lot of benefits for using a standing desk and that they're healthier and better for us. it's all the rage on the internet these days and I see lots of YouTube videos showing people who are buying standing desks. let me confess that while I did research to find the benefits of standing at a standing desk I felt a little bit skeptical. I think they're oversold and may not give the wonderful benefits to our health that people are hoping for. at any rate here are some good benefits of using a standing desk: burn calories, energy burst, posture, back pain, wrist position, circulation, boosts your mood hi and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 342 this episode is about standing desks and their benefits.

Burns Calories

If you use a standing desk you're going to use more calories, burn more calories than if you're sitting in a chair. that's because standing burns more calories than sitting, even if you're standing still. however different studies show different amounts of calories burned by standing and sitting. the consensus that I could find was that there's not a significant amount of difference. One Source I found said if you stand all day or sit all day the difference is going to be the equivalent to the number of calories in a carrot. so if you really need to burn more calories go for a walk. even a 30 minute walk is going to have a huge difference compared with standing all day.

Gives You an Energy Burst

another good benefit of the standing desk is that you're going to have an energy burst well I'm not sure that you're going to get a burst of energy by standing all day. more like you're going to get more tired by standing all day. at least until you get used to it which will take a couple weeks. on the other hand if you do a lot of sitting and then you work at a standing desk and then you sit some more the standing session will give you that burst of energy lasting through the rest of the day. they have found that that is true so using a standing desk in coordination with the sitting desk may give this burst of energy.

Improves Posture

I read on one website that using a standing desk can help you have good posture. Once again, I'm a little bit skeptical here, but it kind of depends on how you have the desk set up. If you're using a computer or looking at a screen, then it's quite important that you get the screen at the right height for your eyes to encourage good posture. I also have bad posture, and it wouldn't matter where the screen is; my posture would be bad. So I think in order to improve posture, you need a conscious effort from inside, and the desk isn't going to magically make you have better posture, but they said that many people improve their posture by using a standing desk.

Reduces Back Pain

I found one website that said using a standing desk can reduce your back pain. I am highly skeptical of this because I find that if I stand anywhere for too long in one spot, my lower back becomes painful. Standing causes pain in my back. so I can't see how using a standing desk would be beneficial for your lower back. On the other hand, my lower back is not the same as everybody else's lower back, and using a standing desk could possibly help some people who have lower back pain from sitting too much. I think that they just need to learn how to sit properly. They could save their money and not buy the desk.

Helps with Wrist Position

Here's one point that I think could be really beneficial from using a standing desk: I sit and use my computer, and my wrists tend to fall and rest on the keyboard. I do that a lot, and I'm really bad at it. I haven't fixed it If you stand at a standing desk, then you can adjust the keyboard to a lower position so that your wrists cannot fall on the keyboard and rest there, so I think that this is one thing that could be a benefit of using a standing desk. It requires that you get the desk set up properly from the beginning, and a lot of people might miss this crucial point, so if you do use a standing desk, make sure you set it up properly.

Keeps Circulation Going

Here's another point that I think is really good about standing desks:. You're not going to get that deep vein thrombosis, which is caused by sitting for too long in one place. If you're standing at your desk quite a bit you're going to have much better circulation throughout your body including your legs and this will help prevent the occurence of deep vein thrombosis. if you don't want to spend money on a standing desk, it is advised to follow the cheap solution to this problem which is to get up and walk around every 20 or 30 minutes. very easy and probably a lot healthier for you. but if you have lots of money go out and buy a standing desk.

Boosts Your Mood and Focus

There was one study that showed people who stood up at work in a call centre were 50% more productive because they had a better mood and they could focus on things better. I don't know if that study has been reproduced anywhere but it's quite impressive and I must say I can't see any harm in using a standing desk so as I said earlier, if you have the money and you want to buy a standing desk go out and buy one you probably will get a boost to your mood and to your focus so this last point I have to say rings true.

Have you sensed my scepticism about standing desks yet?
I think they are overpriced and oversold. Better daily health habits and routines could prevent a lot of the problems that they are supposed to help. One the other hand, a standing desk is harmless and could help you out a little bit. Get one if you think it sounds fun.