Okay, I need to start this post with a question…
‘How many hours a day do you spend sitting?’
Now, your initial answer might be ‘8 hours’ which is the standard working day, however, let’s break this down:
*You could be sitting in the car/train/bus?
*You could be sitting at the breakfast/lunch/dinner table?
*You could be sitting at your laptop working in the evening?
*You could be sitting on the sofa socialising, reading or watching TV?
Okay, so I’ll ask again, how many hours a day do you REALLY spend sitting?
So far today I’ve sat at my home desk for 1 hour, I’ve then traveled to work (45 minutes in total) and spent 8 hours at my desk during my day job, with another 1 hour at my home desk in the evening. I’ll then add around 40-60 minutes of sitting down to eat/talking to my partner etc
If I was to round up that total, it would prove that nearly 12 hours of my day is spent sitting, which is a somewhat terrifying statistic. Of course, I can and will make more effort to walk to work, I won’t always spend 10+ hours a day working and sometimes my ‘down time’ is reduced.
The fact of the matter is, something needs to change, I cannot be the only person with this kind of lifestyle, I’ve not taken into account the amount of time I spend moving each day too. This is where the concept of a standing desk comes to play, I was curious about how people felt about this concept so I reached out to Twitter.
The results were interesting, some people were already using a standing desk, whilst others were not keen on the idea. However, from a personal point of view, I was surprised, that so few of us had never tried this concept. I spend so much time working on my personal fitness, trying to eat a reasonable diet and care for my overall health, yet I’m spending half of my day seated.
I’m not alone, but the good thing is we are becoming more forward thinking about making healthy changes in all area’s of our lives.
Something had to change, so when Sit-Stand.Com contacted me about reviewing a standing desk I was positive about making the change.
Firstly, it takes some time to get used to working at a standing desk, I’d recommend 30-60 minutes a day for the initial week or so, building up as you feel comfortable. A great design element of The Yo-Yo Desk is that you can sit or stand, with complete ease and it’s fully adjustable to a height that suits you.
It’s worth me mentioning that Yo-Yo Desk MINI (which I’m using in the pictures) weighs in at 27kg and is strong enough to hold a PC and a laptop. Due to the weight, it’s not very portable so I would recommend having a set station to work from, the good point is it feels well made and strong.
Let’s look at it this way, how much do you value your laptop/PC? For me, it’s the most crucial element of my business.
Another question is, how much do you value your overall health? By using a standing desk you can expect instant better posture, increased calorie burn, reduced back problems, higher energy levels, improved blood circulation, creativity and productivity.
For example, one evening I was feeling particularly unmotivated, rather than staying on the sofa, I took myself up to our office and worked standing for an hour. Standing made all the difference, I was feeling energised and focused again, my job was completed and I went to bed feeling satisfied.
There are times when I think that standing all day would be my worst nightmare, for example after a heavy leg session at the gym or a long run, but even standing for just 30 minutes will make some difference. I’m a strong believer that small changes over time make the biggest impact on our lives. I’m making sure that when I’m at my day job I get up more frequently, I now go to talk to people in person rather than picking up the phone. Also, making time to go out for a walk at lunch, even when I don’t need to run an errand or go shopping, just walking for the simple reason it’s good to move.
There are many aspects of this desk I like; starting with the fact it comes in black or white, which would fit into most working spaces. It feels sturdy enough to hold all of my equipment (and coffee!) there’s a removable keyboard stand and it’s pretty simple to put together, they’ve even included a screwdriver!
Okay, to round this up I would say that yes, a standing desk is a worthwhile investment, as long as you are willing to commit to making the change. Prices start from around £200.00 for the Yo-Yo Desk MINI and you can purchase from here
Is a standing desk something you would consider? Or do you already use one?
Katie
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