Throughout the years, television shows and movies have made us form the ideal of a businessman or businesswoman sitting behind a desk and working throughout the day. Although this is still a common occurrence, more and more business individuals are revolutionizing their offices, by tossing out their chairs and adorning their offices with a brand new stand up workstation. With this possibility, it is believed that these individuals are capable of maintaining their health and enhancing their productivity levels.

In all likelihood, you’re probably sitting and relaxing in a comfortable chair right now. Still, everyone, who is over the age of ten, has seen a stand up computer desk. These setups are frequently used in retail stores. Think of those cashiers, at your local grocery store. They’re forced to stand up and check out your goods. This is common practice among the biggest retail establishments, including Wal-Mart, Lowe’s and so on. With this in mind, one must wonder what these majorly successful businesses know that we do not.

Is the standing computer desk much more efficient and effective than one with a chair? Is comfort more important than productivity? Below, you’ll learn everything you need to know about this new addition to the workspace.

The Complete Sit-Stand/Standing Desk Guide

Picture	Name	Type	Price	Our Rating
	Ergotron Workfit-S Sit Stand Dual Workstation	Adjustable Sit-Stand	$$$	4.0
	Ergotron Workfit-S Single Workstation	Adjustable Sit-Stand	$$$	4.6
	Rebel Desk Adjustable Height Standing Desk	Adjustable Sit-Stand	$$$$	4.7
	Varidesk Pro 36	Adjustable Sit-Stand	$$$	4.7
	Buddy Products Stand Up Workstation w/ Beveled Edge	Standing Desk	$$$	4.9
	Varidesk Pro 30	Adjustable Sit-Stand	$$$	4.7
	Workfit-S LCD Laptop Sit-Stand Workstation	Adjustable Sit-Stand	$$$$	4.5
	Buddy Products Stand up Workstation with LCD Mount	Standing Desk	$$$	4.8
	Safco Products Mub Stand up Adjustable Workstation	Standing Desk	$$$	3.9
	Workez Standing Desk	Adjustable Sit-Stand	$$	3.9

Sitting Ourselves to Death

Whether people know it or just choose to ignore it, sitting around on your rump all day long can cause a tremendous amount of damage to your body and may even lower your life expectancy. According to a recent study, individuals, who sat around and watched television almost every day, increased their chances of dying by approximately 60%! Obviously, the facts make the transition, whether you’re sitting in front of your television or sitting behind a computer screen. Lack of exercise and parking yourself in a chair for five to six hours a day can prove to be astoundingly detrimental to your overall health. Below, you’ll learn more about the potential risk factors of sitting about throughout the day.

Heart Problems: When you’re sitting down relaxing, your muscles are also at rest, which means your body is burning fewer calories and less fat. At the same time, blood flow throughout the body is severely diminished. This can increase the amount of fatty plague that builds up and clogs the heart. Not only can this cause increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but it can also lead to increased cholesterol and higher blood pressure.

Colon Cancer: When the body is in motion, it is capable of building an increased amount of antioxidants, which can help to curb off cancer-causing cells. When the body is motionless, it is unable to build these disease-fighting cells, which results in a higher risk of developing color cancer.

Slower Brain and Strained Neck: When the body is sitting, it has a much more difficult time pumping a sufficient amount of blood to the brain. With this in mind, it is important to remember that the brain needs the oxygen within the body, in order to function properly. Therefore, sitting throughout the day can greatly diminish the functions of the brain. Also, sitting at your desk or on the couch can result in your neck being aligned in an inappropriate manner. Suffice to say, placing this type of stress on your neck can actually lead to permanent damage, especially imbalances.

Lower Ailments: Of course, the legs and feet are put into a difficult predicament, when you’re sitting around all day. Obviously, sitting around will cause the blood to flow throughout the body slowly and less efficiently, which means the legs and feet might not get their needed supply. This can cause several different problems including varicose veins and swollen ankles. In some severe cases, it is possible to develop deep vein thrombosis, or dangerous blood clots, which could potentially lead to death. Scientists recently connected the influx of osteoporosis, or soft bones, to inactivity.

Obesity: Obesity is a growing epidemic throughout the country with the statistics showing an increase each and every year. Perhaps a great deal of this has to do with individuals sitting behind their computers, or in front of these televisions, too long? Of course, sitting and enjoying yourself, while eating is never a good idea. This is simply combining two bad traits into one and increasing the negatives of both. It is frequently believed that watching television and eating generally leads to more eating. Obviously, this is bad all the way around.

A Potential Solution to the Problem

With the knowledge of the complications from sitting, manufacturers decided to create a healthier alternative. Since business individuals are still going to be required to work behind their computer screens for several hours a day, leaving the office is out of the question. This has brought about the introduction of the standing computer desk. Suffice to say, these products have grown tremendously in popularity, which has led to an increased number of products available, within this range. At the same time, manufacturers are hopping into the game, in order to generate extravagant revenue.

Anyone, who has yet to see a treadmill desk, is simply stuck within the prehistoric time period. Of course, this is where the stand up computer desk takes a turn for the worse. Manufacturers believe they can throw silly, but innovative, products together and slap a few thousand dollars price tag on them. Suffice to say, some will make the purchase, but they’ll eventually look silly in the process. Instead, this is simply not needed. An efficient sit stand workstation should suffice and is much less costly.

Not Built to Perfection

Of course, there is one major problem with the standing computer desks, they’re not perfect, but anything rarely is. Although these desks can help prevent you from sitting around all day long, there are still some problems associated with a standing desk. Below, you’ll learn some of the negatives of these products.

Variety of Costs: Obviously, cost is always going to be a factor. As mentioned above, some manufacturers have designed and created lavish standing computer desks, which are overly expensive. Still, it is possible to find some that can be purchased for less than $20. With this in mind, you’ll need to take your time and shop around a bit, before you make your purchase. You’ll need to evaluate your particular specifications and desires beforehand. Obviously, more stylish desks are going to be tremendously more expensive, but this may be something that peaks your interest. Still, it is nice to know that you have options and can purchase a product that suits your budget perfectly.

Sore Feet: When you take the pressure off of some other areas, you have to place that stress onto another part of the body. With the stand up workstation, you actually put some stress on your feet, which can also be difficult to cope with. Although a comfortable pair of shoes will definitely help, it is likely you will still experience pain. By adding some type of padding on the floor, you may be able to alleviate the pain a little, but standing for long periods of time will cause some amount of pain. Therefore, you should be prepared for leg and foot pain, while standing throughout the day.

Privacy No More: Although there are a number of benefits of eliminating your cubicle, some will be distressed with the potential of giving up their privacy. With this in mind, you must decide, whether you’re more concerned over your cooperation with your coworkers, or your privacy. All in all, this could provide you with a double edge sword and you will need to choose accordingly.

Long Work Hours: Most professions require long work hours, which mean that you are going to be either standing or sitting for many hours. Many scientific studies have shown that standing is more beneficial than sitting. Sitting can cause stress on the back, neck, and buttocks, which may lead to painful conditions including inflammation of the joints, severe back pain, and decreased blood circulation in the lower extremities. Standing, while working allows you more options to move around, exercise, and stimulate your circulatory system.

Back Pain Solution: Whether you are standing or sitting for innumerable hours may or may not cause back pain. It has been decided by medical experts that sitting causes much more strain on the lumbar and cervical spine. When you are standing, you have more opportunities to stretch your back muscles, which may decrease your risks of getting back pain, at some point throughout the day. Chronic back pain has been linked to sitting for prolonged hours, awkward stances, and poor posture.

Inability To Stay Focused: Everyone knows that pain can increase the inability to stay focused. This will cause your production and work output to plummet rapidly. It is vital that you are situated in a positional stance that will prevent unconstrained movement, poor posture, and fatigue. If you are experiencing any type of back, neck, feet, or shoulder pain, you will definitely not be capable of putting out your best work or high productivity numbers.

Standing Around: It is certainly true that sitting around is most certainly more detrimental to your body than standing up. However, it is important to remember that you’re still going to be sitting around throughout the day! You’re not necessarily moving around, doing jumping jacks or getting exercise. Instead, you’re still remaining immobile. In order to curb the negatives, you should attempt to walk or jog in place every once in awhile to ensure that you’re remaining active. Taking a break every so often is also a good idea and will help.

Ways to Stay Active at Your Desk: There are many ways that you can stay active, while sitting at your desk. You would be surprised with how much you can benefit by continuously moving your feet. This will keep the circulation flowing to your lower extremities, which will prevent edema, numbness, and pain. Another activity that is possible from the sitting position is arm exercises. You can easily extend your arms out, while clenching and unclenching your hands. This is great for boosting the circulatory system, which can aid in decreasing pain associated with sitting for prolonged hours. The hand crawl is another great exercise that can be completed right from your desk. Just take your fingers and crawl up a nearby wall, then descend the same way. All of these exercises can help you tremendously, but you must commit and perform them, as often as possible.

Sit Stand Workstation: The Best of Both Worlds?

With the information above, you should recognize that sitting behind a computer is obviously the worst. Although a standing computer desk can offer you with some improvements, it may be best to take things a little bit further, by using a combination of both. With a sit stand workstation, it is possible to relax from time to time, while also standing for periods. Suffice to say, there are some astounding benefits that can be achieved, by adorning your office, with one of these products.

With this type of arrangement, it is possible to experience the best of both types of desks. By being able to stand up, you can quickly jump to your feet, communicate with your co-workers and sit back down. At the same time, standing can help relieve the stress on your neck, buttocks and other parts of the body. By standing for a short period of time, it is likely that your legs will begin to tire and your feet will start to hurt. With the sitting and standing desk, this will not be a problem. Once you’ve reached the point of exhaustion, you can always sit back down and take the load off.

Conclusion

All in all, there are an enormous number of factors that need to be taken into account, before making your decision. Obviously, you’ll need a desk that fits your budget and your available workspace. Once this is completed, you’ll need to turn your focus to your overall health. Make sure that you choose an option that is going to provide you with the most health benefits possible. Once you’ve selected the appropriate option for your specific predicament, you will be able to maintain your health, while also ensuring that your productivity levels do not slip!