Take a Stand for Office Health

All you need to know about better office health and well-being with sit-stand desks            

Health Risks Associated with Prolonged Sitting for Office Workers

• Certain Cancers
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Obesity
• High Blood Pressure
• Mental Health

Here's a 3 minute summary on why you should read on.

It’s not just the muffins in the tearoom making that muffin-top overhanging your pants.

The evidence is mounting to link our sedentary workplaces and lifestyles with our growing waistlines.

In fact the latest reports show that sitting for more than an hour actually shuts off our fat-burning enzymes!

As a nation of couch potatoes spending 80% of every day on our bottoms it’s time for Australian office workers to

take a stand.

Here’s our guide to improving health and wellbeing in your office with sit-stand desks:

Cost

Australian office workers sit at their desks for an average 6.3 hours per day and health experts say that sitting for long

periods like this actually shuts off our metabolism. Even going to the gym after work isn't enough to combat the

effects of sitting all day. So sitting all day is not only making us fatter & unhealthier, it is also worsening our obesity

epidemic which costs us $3.6 billion in lost workplace productivity, making it a no-brainer that we need to change the

way we work. The cost might be, in the short term, financial for your employer, but ultimately you and your employer,

will both potentially pay with your weight and general health issues leading to possible increased absenteeism.

Change

The recommendation is simply to sit less and stand more, ideally getting out of the chair at least once an hour.

But how can we do that when our job calls for us to be stuck at a desk all day? That’s the beauty of sit-stand

desks – the new revolution sweeping the office world. You get to decide which position to work in and when.

You’ll probably find it easiest to sit when you need to concentrate, while standing is perfect for the simpler stuff like

emailing and reading.

Choices

With the demand for sit-stand desks increasing there’s a growing variety of styles for all budgets. You can choose

from affordable basic models all the way up to the luxury versions with a built-in touchscreen to preset your heights

and a subtle reminder nudge to change positions. You can also select a desktop unit, like the Ergotron, that sits on

top of your current desk or workstation that converts it into a Sit-Stand Desk

Challenge

Sit-stand desk users find the biggest challenge comes when the novelty wears off, usually about a month in, with

70% returning to a fixed sitting position. You may feel a bit awkward standing up when others are seated, so you

need to make a firm commitment and stick to it.

Commitment

Now you’re thinking about all those other health commitments you haven’t been able to stick to, but like the wonder of

the Fitbit, feeble willpower is no excuse thanks to the awesomeness of tech! Choosing an electric push button

model will make it easy to convert positions and motivate you to make it part of your daily routine.

Culture

Changing the culture of your workplace will also make a difference – getting sit-stand desks for everyone will

normalise the concept and lead to better health and productivity for your whole office.

Calories

And best of all you’ll be burning calories! According to the Mayo Clinic’s James Levine, standing triggers your body to

breakdown fats and sugars leading to weight loss! Imagine burning the same amount of calories each day as a

half-hour High Intensity Interval Training session without the sweat!

So the bottomline is that a sit-stand desk is better for your bottomline.

Going from this to this is great for your health  

So, where to from here? Still not convinced that Sit-Stand is worth considering for your office?

Have a read here about what the Heart Foundation found in their office when they trialled Sit-Stand

Why not start by exploring some of the possible solutions available to you right now by going here

Of course, if you have any queries feel free to call or contact us