Why Use Standing Desks Or Sit to Stand Workstation

Do you remember the post I wrote on sitting is the new smoking? I wrote about it because sitting is killing and affects many of us.

That was indeed an upsetting post for some but it also made them aware about the harm that sitting for long duration can do to their health.

In that post many readers expressed their desire and interest to know about standing desks, which allows the computer users to work while standing.

But I know that I cannot always stand and write or work.

So, I set out to find the best “sit to stand” working option for people, who sit for long hours working on their computer or laptop. Guess what I found?

I won’t keep it a secret but it will be a surprise – I’ve a $600 worth sit to stand product as giveaway this month! Keep reading to know more about it. 🙂

The idea behind a sit-stand desk is to be able to stand whenever you feel like and still be able to continue working, as you can raise your computer or laptop level while standing and working.

Your sitting desk becomes a standing desk when you want it to be. Now, isn’t this amazing?

I was intrigued by this concept and wanted to check it out further. No, I am not the only one who is excited about a sit to stand desk or workstation.

I checked the Google Trends for “standing desk”, “sit stand workstation” and other related terms, and I saw a tremendous boost since the last few years in the interest for these terms among people.

With such awareness about the harmful effects of leading a sedentary lifestyle and due to the increased necessity of long sitting, people are opting for stand up options.

My online research brought me to one stand up option that was most popular, talked about, and used – it’s the sit-stand workstations from Ergotron.

Before I talk about the stand up work solutions from Ergotron, I’d like to recap and review the results of my research about the sitting disease as mentioned in this post.

“Sit-stand for wellness and productivity” ~ Ergotron

How Does Excessive Sitting Harm You

Let me emphasize on this fact that sitting is not bad.

What could be bad is sitting continuously without any break, or any kind of physical activity or movement, for a long period of time.

Why? Because it promotes a sedentary lifestyle, which turns the body into a hub of lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic back pain etc.

Therefore, I’ll call it sedentary sitting.

The common problems that people with the sitting disease face are:

• Restriction of blood circulation in legs
• Deposition of cholesterol in arteries
• Lower than required rate of body metabolism
• Problems of fluid retention in the body due to lack of movement
• Back injury and spine disk problems
• Decreased electrical activity in legs

These problems are besides the usual neck, back, and body pain that you experience after continuously sitting for long hours. Here is some more detailed information about the bad effects of sedentary sitting.

Source: MindBodyGreen

As you see in the diagram above, edema or fluid retention can be a serious problem.

You also can suffer from the problems of piles, herniated disk, DVT, and pulmonary embolism if you’re engaged in excessive sitting.

DVT is Deep Vein Thrombosis. No leg movement and less fluid intake risks the formation of clots in legs. These clots can eventually travel to the lungs, heart, or brain and lead to cardiac arrest or brain stroke.

Sitting more also increase your chances of becoming obese, because you don’t burn much of calories while sitting.

Whether you believe it or not, if you don’t take these measures, you’re likely to harm yourself health wise, if your job or daily routine require long sitting hours:

1)          Get up every 20 minutes. Do anything you like, or just stand. If not every 20 minutes, get up after every hour of sitting, walk around for about 10 minutes.

2)          When you sit, don’t sit rigidly for long time. Keep exercising your body parts like the hands, wrists, legs, neck etc. Don’t let them get stiff.

3)          Drink lot of fluid while working, especially when sitting for long hours. This helps in proper blood circulation.

4)          Work on a standing desk for as much time as you can. If you don’t have one, make one, purchase it, or win it over here – the Aha!NOW giveaway!

“Yes, standing is a lot healthier than sitting. That is why a standing desk or sit-stand workstation is what you need for a healthier living.” Tweet

“Did you know that your  heart rate increases by 10 beats/min while standing with 50 extra calories burned per hour. If you stand for three hours a day for five days, that’s around 750 calories burned.” – BBC

Sitting Desk Vs. Standing Desk

A recent study published by the CDC indicates adjustable sit-to-stand products are an effective solution for reducing prolonged sitting.

You can instantaneously sit or stand as you choose while working on your computer.

Check out this infographic that compares the advantages and disadvantages of standing and sitting desks.

Source:   Visual.ly

After going through all this information, aren’t you convinced to use standing desks or sit to stand desks?

Of course, you can’t be standing all the time, and you should not – it might hurt your back more.

You have to mix standing with sitting, so that you stand more and sit less, and this is what brings us to the Ergotron sit-stand workstation.

“Did you know that sitting for long hours on the chair can cut off the circulation at the back of your thighs. It helps to put a bed pillow or two under you as you sit.”

Ergotron Sit-Stand Solutions

If you visit the website of Ergotron, you will be amazed to see so many types of models and solutions to help you sit as well as stand while working.

I was particularly interested in the WorkFit sit-stand workstations of Ergotron.

Under the categorization of sit-stand solutions, you have stand up desks that can be in the form of desk mounts, full standing desks, or mobile carts.

You can attach the desk mounts to a worksurface, and full desks can be standalone with some type of computer setup that rests on top.

Before you get started to select your sit-stand solution, it would help if you ask yourself these questions:

• Do I want to use my existing table and mount the sit-stand solution on to that?
• Do I want a new sit-stand adjustable table?
• Do I want to use it for my PC, Apple, laptop, or have it for multiple purpose?
• Do I want or have room for maneuverability of monitor, keyboard, or both?
• Do I want to abandon the table and mount the sit-stand computer unit on the wall?
• Do I want to move the sit-stand workstation from one place to another?

Or you can find the sit-stand product that works best for you by visiting this page.

After a careful reviews of all the products and considering my requirements, and keeping in mind the necessity of all excessive computer users like bloggers, I zeroed down to Ergotron WorkFit A sit-stand workstation.

Here is the image of the WorkFit-A sit-stand workstation unit that I wanted to have for myself (and I got it too!).

Cool? It really is as sophisticated as it looks. This is the Model or Part Number 24-390-026.

You can learn all about the Ergotron WorkFit solutions from this information brochure.

“The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society has designated October as National Ergonomics Month (NEM). The purpose of NEM is to create awareness of human factors and ergonomics”

Ergotron WorkFit-A With Suspended Keyboard Model 24-390-026

I chose the model WorkFit-A with suspended keyboard because by using it I can:

a)  Sit on my existing normal table that is without a keyboard tray.

b)  Take and turn the entire workstation in any direction.

c)  Stand and move around easily while working.

d)  Have a work surface to my disposal.

e)  Swing the workstation away from the table when not in use.

I believe this way I can achieve complete work freedom and accessibility to various work positions using a single sit-stand workstation.

To help you understand and visualize what I’m talking about, I want you to see a video that really got me excited about the WorkFit-A Sit-Stand Workstation.

Ergotron WorkFit: Love the Way You Work ~ YouTube Video

Like it? Would you like to have one?

Well, I didn’t really get excited about the dancing while working part, but the flexibility did impress me. 🙂

Therefore, I didn‘t waste any time and contacted Ergotron, and they were kind enough to send me a review unit.

I was like “WOW” because Ergotron also offered to give one WorkFit-A Sit-Stand Workstation as a giveaway to one of the community members of Aha!NOW. Isn’t that fantastic news! 🙂

“Standing increases the metabolism rate, increases blood flow, burns more calories, as well as improves posture and tones the muscles.” ~ Ergotron

$600 Sit-Stand Workstation Giveaway at Aha!NOW

Now, YOU too can win the sit-stand workstation – the one that you just watched in the video, which Vinay is going to review in the next post – as he has started using it.

You know we love giving away to the Aha!NOW Blog Community (ABC) and this is going to be the biggest giveaway till now.

Why the biggest?

The retail cost of WorkFit-A sit-stand workstation with different variations and including the shipping cost is up to $600!

In spite of Ergotron being an American company, the good thing is that you need not be a resident of North America to win this giveaway. You can be living in any part of the world and still receive your sit-stand workstation free of cost!

The result of this giveaway worth up to $600 will be announced on 3rd November, 2014.

How to Win The $600 Giveaway At Aha!NOW

It’s very easy and simple.

You do not have to perform tens of useless tasks that you probably do at a raffle giveaway. Instead, you have to do things that you love to do and that are going to be useful to you and others.

Okay, without mincing words , this is what you need to do to win this Sit-Stand Workstation giveaway worth up to $600:

1)      Activate your membership – become an ABC member. Just fill up this form and register yourself.

2)      Be active and participate in the community activities. All you need to do is read posts, comment, share your views, make friends, help others, and discuss issues!

3)      Collect and earn maximum AhaPoints and top the Aha!NOW Blog Community Leaderboard (ABCL) that is displayed on the sidebar. Read this to know how you can earn AhaPoints.

That is all. As simple as ABC and as easy as 123, isn’t it? 🙂

“The Aha!NOW Blog Community member who wins the most AhaPoints will WIN the Sit-Stand Workstation Aha!NOW #Giveaway that is worth up to $600.” Tweet

He or she will be entitled to the Ergotron WorkFit-A Workstation. This unit will be sent to your home directly by Ergotron.

How is this sit-stand workstation – you might ask?

Well, I’ll tell you that Vinay has mainly been using it for some time now, and I can assure you through my personal experience that it is great and definitely very useful in making our working more healthier.

I highly recommend that you sit-stand while working, as it can positively benefit your health, from burning extra calories to improving your posture.

While Vinay is preparing the review post for the Ergotron WorkFit-A Workstation to acquaint you with all its aspects, I’d suggest that you waste no more time and do what is needed to win this AWESOME giveaway!

If you want to register yourself as an ABC member, please note the following:

• The ABC is a real community of real people. We do not allow fake and faceless members, and even expel inactive members.
• All members are required to have their recent photo in their member profile. Please simply use your “gravatar email” (you can create one at http://en.gravatar.com/). Please know that member registrations without profile picture will be deleted.
• Use only the link of your personal blog in the member profile if you are a blogger. If you are not a blogger, do not leave any links – leave that field blank.
• Do not misuse the features and facilities, nor try gaming the reward system with wrong intentions. Such practice will be counterproductive and you could risk termination of your ABC membership permanently.
• Please go through the blog community page (https://www.aha-now.com/blog-community/) before starting anything.

However, if you are already an ABC member, then what’s stopping you. Get going!

Remember the early movers are surely going to benefit. But no worries, if you are starting late, you’ll get bonus registration points!

There are many other benefits of becoming an Aha!NOW Blog Community member, and you can read them all here.

So, aren’t you all keen to win this Ergotron Sit-Stand WorkFit-A workstation after reading this post? What are you waiting for – just go ahead and join the ABC NOW! 🙂

October is ergonomics month – let’s spread the word and share healthier working options to bring happiness into our life. Tweet

Share Your Thoughts –

What are your views about standing desks? Do you use one or would you like to own a sit-stand desk? Would you like to win the sit-stand workstation giveaway that is worth up to $600?

Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos, Ergotron

RELATED POSTS:

Is Your Sitting Posture Correct

Warning: Sitting Is The New Smoking

Ergotron WorkFit-A Sit Stand Workstation – Review