STAND UP, GET SLIMMER, A BETTER POSTURE AND LIVE LONGER
‘Standing has
benefits for improving your posture and therefore back pain, it improves
circulation and therefore cardiovascular health and it also promotes greater
mobility in general.’
This is from Professor Kevin Fenton, the national director
for Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England, which is the body in charge
of improving our health and is the subject of a Daily Mail article.
One way to promote this healthier life, amongst office
workers at least, is to provide sit/ stand desks. These are electric adjustable
desks that are quick and easy to change the height of with no disruption to
your work colleagues. This means you can sit on a chair of any height or work
standing up. A standard desk is 72 cm high and is often given to all staff
whether they are six and a half feet or five feet tall – this is just plain
crazy so at the very least an adjustable desk will keep all your staff more comfy
whatever their size.
That is just the start though as when you stand your heart
rate increases by about ten beats a minute according to Professor Fenton. This
will make staff fitter and in the long term having a healthier work force must
be good. Standing and moving more can also boost productivity and creativity – certainly
I often stand up when I am thinking over a problem or taking an important phone
call.
Standing up all day may seem like a chore but that is not
what is being suggested here and mixing it with sitting is the goal. Using a
chair in which you sit a bit higher so it isn’t such an effort to get up means
you are less likely to get stuck in a seated position while glued to the
computer and will help you switch between sitting and standing. The Back App
chair does this and has the added benefit of ensuring movement hence giving your
back muscles a very gentle but constant exercise, keeping you comfortable and burning
more calories than if sitting completely still.
Some companies already have standing meetings as a way of
keeping them focused and shorter. An adjustable height conference table would
allow standing and sitting during a meeting and might provide the best of both.
However it might be best to let the boss have the height control!
In October, Public Health England will issue new guidelines on
exercise which will advise on all areas of our lives and not just office work
but for many of us that is an important part of what we do.
For more info on sit/ stand desks and Back App chairs see http://relaxbackuk.moonfruit.com/
Article in Mail Online by Sophie Borland
