The Way We Sit is Critical to Our Health!

We have all heard the term “Sitting is the new Smoking”. Let’s face it, when we are at work, many of us spend most of the day sitting. Because we spend 25%++ of our time at work, it’s important to think about sitting properly, especially while in the office.

A Correct Sitting Posture Involves:

1) Head and upper back straight with shoulders relaxed at your sides
2) Top third of your computer monitor at eye level
3) Back of the chair supporting the curve in your back
4) Arms relaxed at a 90 degree angle
5) Wrists straight
6) Hips resting against the back of your chair
7) Legs relaxed with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle
8) Feet flat on the ground or resting on a foot rest

This proper sitting position will help you maintain a good posture and avoid back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and neck pain.

 

What About Standing Desks?

There are pros and cons to this type of office set-up.

Pros of standing desks:

1. You Burn More Calories.
Standing, like fidgeting, can burn anywhere from 20-75% more calories versus sitting (depending on which study you read). This can add up to hundreds of extra calories in a day.
2. Lower Back Pain is Reduced.
Assuming your standing desk is set up correctly from an ergonomic perspective, a lot of people find that their lower back hurts less when standing.
3. Feel More Alert
When you’re able to move around while working, you feel more energetic.

Cons of standing desks

1. Foot Pain
Standing many hours a day can lead to some serious foot pain. If you plan to stand for a long period of time, you must wear comfortable, supportive shoes or you could be setting yourself up for different health issues .
2. Swollen Calves and Ankles
Standing for the whole day will lead to blood pooling in the calves and ankles. This can sometimes lead to varicose veins.
3. Limited footwear selection.
For those of you who love wearing those uncomfortable, but beautiful high heels, you will not want to use a standing desk. There is no way that you can stand for 8+ hours a day on high heels, even if you can, this would be disastrous for you feet.

The Best Solution

If you go from sitting all day to standing for that same length of time suddenly, other body parts may start to ache. Humans aren’t meant to be seated ten hours or more daily, but we aren’t meant to be standing this length of time either. Ideally, you should interdisperse a couple of hours of sitting with a couple of hours of standing. It’s best for your health if you can be as active as possible throughout the workday. Try to have walking meetings, enjoy your lunches outside your office walls and always pick the furthest parking spot from the main doors of your office.

To Sum it up…

We spend more than 25% of our time working. During much of this time we are sitting, so a proper sitting posture matters. While at the office, try combining sitting, standing and moving throughout the office for the best impact on your health.