There has been a significant amount of media coverage recently about the perils of remaining seated for extended periods throughout the day. A popular option incorporated by many to address this is to build a stand up desk. Unfortunately remaining standing the entire day encompasses other health concerns as reported by the Canadian Women’s Health Network. Thinking about it logically, this makes sense if you consider workers that HAVE to remain standing all day such as cashiers, toll booth collectors or production line workers. In each of these cases, many employers supply these workers with anti fatigue mats to minimize the strain on legs and backs.
Proper ergonomics dictates that we vary our position throughout the day and the most effective way to accomplish this is by using a sit to stand desk. They are available in three different varieties:
1. Pin (Maintenance Height Adjustable) – where the height can be adjusted by inserting pins into holes.
2. Crank – where you turn a knob to raise or lower the surface.
3. Electric – where the height can be adjusted at the touch of a button.
Pricing varies of course by the level of automation; however so does the benefit. Having to clear your work surface to raise or lower it is not conducive to varying your position nor productive. Cranks are a viable option and were the most popular up to about a year ago; however as we have continued to see a decline in pricing in electric height adjustable sit to stand desks – almost to the level of a crank sit to stand up desk, electric has become the preferred solution. The primary reason is that electric sit to stand desks make adjusting the table height that much easier which encourages people to do so. When you factor in the additional weight capacity and height range an electric sit to stand desk provides, it is a relatively easy decision.
A way to reduce the cost of a sit to stand desk is to purchase the frame only and assemble it to your existing desktop surface. relatively easy and can be done in about 10 minutes. This still provides the same type of benefits associated with sit to stand desk packages. Prior to purchasing a frame, make sure that the area under your desk can accommodate the lift area. This is especially important if you have drawers affixed to the underside of the desktop.
Some workspaces cannot accommodate a standard sit to stand desk package or you simply want a different work surface design. There are cost effective custom solutions available that allow you to select a frame and design your work surface into virtually any shape or color. This is especially useful for tight spaces as corners or home offices; another option may be to create a custom cutout also known as a “cockpit design” to get you closer to your work.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise research journal reported a sobering statistic – “According to scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana who analyzed the lifestyles of more than 17,000 men and women over about 13 years, and found that people who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks.” An electric sit to stand desk has become an affordable solution that can cost effectively meet virtually any requirement and considering the impact it can have on your health and well being, it is a worthy investment to strongly consider.
