Is standing work really healthier than sitting?

 In recent years, the media has hyped up "sitting for too long", and standing office work has become very popular. But is standing office really healthier than sitting?

To discuss this issue, we need to clarify the following concepts.

1. What is standing office?

As the name suggests, standing office refers to the replacement of long-term sitting posture, and the daily office is realized by standing. However, it is not easy to maintain a standing posture all day, so the most recommended office posture is to alternate between standing and sitting, and simple activities can be carried out in a small area.
Although standing office is not yet fully popularized in China, it has already become the "darling" of major high-tech enterprises internationally. In 2011, Facebook has already started the standing office, and its founder Mark Zuckerberg once promoted the standing office method.

In June 2018, Apple CEO Tim Cook also promised to equip every employee at headquarters with a desk. As for Silicon Valley, which is known as the holy land of technological innovation, sit standing desk can be seen everywhere, and even on this basis, in order to achieve the purpose of exercise, treadmill desks are also set up.

2.The definition of sedentary

According to the definition given by Sedentary Behaviour Research Network (US Sedentary Behavior Research Network): Sedentary behavior refers to any waking behavior characterized by energy expenditure ≤ 1.5 in a sitting, reclining or lying position Metabolic equivalents (MET).
In other words, if you sit awake for more than 5 days in a week, while reaching 8 hours/day; or if you keep sitting for 2 hours without getting up and changing your position, you can be considered sedentary.
It seems that most people meet the conditions for sedentary life.
After understanding the definition of standing office and sedentary, let's see if standing office is really healthier than sitting.

As a sleek modern style, colorblock designs are rarely introduced and used on standing desks. But the designers at FEZiBO are committed to bringing you that choice. When rustic browns are combined with black, when nature is combined with white, your stylish workstation has a new look. The keyboard tray is ergonomically designed to reduce pressure on hands and shoulders when the keyboard and mouse are near knee height. When the keyboard is not in use, you can save valuable space on your workstation by simply placing the keyboard tray under the desktop. Experience the greater lifting capacity (up to 176 lbs) and stability that our dual motors and stage 2 (desktop) frame bring to your expectations.

The dangers of prolonged sitting

The health problems that office workers often encounter are: cervical pain, decreased vision, lumbar disc herniation, lumbar muscle strain, lack of exercise, poor posture, obesity. And nine out of ten these problems are caused by prolonged sitting.
As early as 2014, the Department of Public Health England issued a national health initiative "To be healthy, please stand at work for 1 hour a day". British health management experts believe that both office workers and students should stand more, which can effectively help prevent obesity, various cancers and heart disease.
According to a study published in 2016 by the British medical weekly The Lancet (The Lancet), the number of obese people worldwide has surged in the past 40 years, from 105 million in 1975 to 650 million in 2020, a six-fold increase. Some scholars believe this is mainly due to people becoming less active and sitting for longer periods of time.
The harm caused by sitting for a long time cannot be ignored, so does standing office work instead of sitting for a long time really help human health?

Equipped with three electric motors and a programmable controller, this adjustable height desk can meet all your WFH needs.
This standing desk is designed for customers who need to use a lot of electronic equipment. The L-shaped standing desk is large enough to easily accommodate three monitors and two laptops. The three-motor system is more powerful, and the standing desk is more stable and more supportive. The L shape makes the desk more flexible to fit both home and office. It helps create a better work environment that keeps you on the move throughout the day. Try our one-touch controls to free your hands and time from long-pressing the controller every time you adjust the height.

The benefits of standing office

1) Reduce the probability of heart disease

Being in a long-term sitting position and eating as usual is particularly likely to lead to the accumulation of lipids in the blood vessels, thereby causing coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction and other heart diseases. The data showed that women with the longest sedentary periods had the highest risk of developing cardiovascular disease, with each additional hour of sitting being associated with a 12% increased risk of cardiovascular disease and a 26% increased risk of heart disease.
And standing can make the blood circulation system unobstructed, thereby promoting cardiovascular health.

Sedentary is the new way of smoking. The easiest and most sustainable way to combat the effects of sitting is to have a standing desk. The FEZiBO standing desk was born under the idea of minimal design in pursuit of maximum comfort. Minimize design and maximize comfort.
The electric standing desk uses a practical and eco-friendly table top, the one-piece design makes assembly easier and the table top is more sturdy. By offering up to 8 colors and 4 sizes, you can design your desk to your liking to get the perfect desk for your daily work and life. Best of all, the laminate withstands pressure well, is eco-friendly and affordable. Eco-friendly and durable bamboo table tops support sustainable consumption and production patterns. Bamboo's unique texture is a gift from nature, leading us to embrace nature. Calm down, slow down, and enjoy a life-work balance.

2) Reduce back, neck and lumbar pain

The human spine is composed of five parts: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal.
Although humans have evolved into animals that walk upright, they have also left behind a "sequelae" that cannot be underestimated - the increased load on the spine. From walking on four limbs to walking upright on two legs, in order to buffer the impact of upright walking, the human spine is transformed into an S shape, and a "fragile" intervertebral disc appears.
When sitting for a long time, especially when you maintain a bad sitting posture, the waist needs to bear the weight of the upper body for a long time, which greatly increases the burden on the spine and leads to the frequent occurrence of cervical and lumbar spondylosis.
And standing office can effectively relieve the burden of sitting for a long time on the body. According to the journal "Rehabilitation Medicine", a person bears 100% of the pressure when standing, which is two-fifths of the pressure of the body leaning forward and sitting. After reducing the overall burden on the cervical and lumbar spine, the body will naturally not be so sore.

3) Reduce fat accumulation

Keeping the sitting position unchanged for a long time is easy to have poor blood flow, especially in the lower body, so small thick legs and small belly are more likely to form. Compared with sitting for a long time, the fat is mainly deposited in the lower body, and the standing posture makes full use of all the muscles of the legs, activates the muscles, and consumes calories, so that too much fat will not accumulate.

If you want relief from your waist and legs and don't want to buy a large standing table, buy a small standing desk.

In the end, instead of saying that standing work is very healthy, it is better to say that it is the first step to a healthy body. Compared with sitting still for a long time, the body will gradually stiffen; standing posture is easier to get up and perform small-scale activities. Just a small move, but crucial.