Lifestyle

Benefits of Standing/Electric Desks Compared To Standard Desks

Published

4 years ago

July 28, 2020

The quintessential work routine in the US makes it difficult to harness the benefits of physical activity or movement. Between the morning and afternoon commutes, desk work, meetings, and screen time, Americans spend most of their hours sitting for long.

However, standing desks or electrical desks are now replacing the standard desks at workplaces. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, standing desks are one of the fastest-growing benefits that employees are seeking at their workplaces.

Standing Desks: Changing the Dynamics

As the name suggests, a standing desk is a workstation designed for use while standing. Unlike a standard desk that usually has a fixed height, standing desks come with height adjustment features. If you have a standard sitting desk, you can simply place your computer on a stack of books or top of a box for optimal viewing. But, it does not offer ergonomic benefits.

However, standing desks are more convenient as these custom-built platforms allow you to adjust the height with a push of a button. You can get customized standing desks depending on the task, such as telephoning, computer use, or architectural drawing. Read here for more about height adjustable desks there are several articles.

Manual Standing Desk

These are adjustable standing desk converters. You can use the squeeze handles to adjust the desk. Usually, these desks have a gas spring and hydraulic lifting mechanism that helps to convert your sitting desk into a standing desk manually.

Electric Standing Desk

Usually, a precision linear motor powers the electric adjustable-height desks. They have the edge over manually operated standing desks in terms of speed, performance, and convenience. But, electric standing desks are pricey than crank-operated desks.

Compared to standard desks, the electric or standing desks are sturdy, convenient, and offer a wide range of ergonomic benefits.

Sitting: The New Smoking

Before we look at the ergonomics and various health benefits that standing desks offer, it is essential to understand why sitting for too long is bad. Research from the American Cancer Society shows that sitting for an extended period deteriorates your health, even if you manage to get plenty of exercises.

No wonder sitting is called “the new smoking.” The average American, aged 12 and older, sit for eight to ten hours a day doing things that require less movement, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Sitting for a long time makes you susceptible to premature death.

If you have a standard desk at the office, and you spend most of the time seated, you are at risk of developing several health issues. For instance, you can face musculoskeletal problems, heart disease, increased sugar levels, and, of course, obesity.

Ergonomic Benefits of Standing Desks

According to the Cornell University Department of Ergonomics, sitting compared to standing exerts 90% additional pressure on your back. Ergonomics has a simple principle – fit the task to the person instead of making the person adjust to the task.

Standing desks limit your sitting time and help you focus on movement by alternating your postures. It does not only reduce pain and strain but also increases your comfort level and productivity at work.

Adjustability is crucial; your job desk, monitor arm, chair, and keyboard tray –all must be adjustable, and that is only possible with height-adjustable standing desks. The electric desks provide many benefits, such as:

A standing workstation reduces lower back pain significantly
It decreases half of the neck and upper back pain
Height-adjustable standing desks reduce arm and wrist strain, as you can keep your arms at your wrists level at 90 degrees
It improves your posture as you stand upright with your shoulders pulled back

Other Health Benefits

A sedentary lifestyle contributes to a variety of health problems, including diabetes and heart diseases. The inactive lifestyle is the fourth leading cause of deaths in the world; experts often suggest taking walk breaks during work. Well, you can draw many benefits from standing desks and get rid of your sedentary work routine.

Burn Calories, Lose Weight

Obesity is a common problem among people who have a sedentary lifestyle, i.e., sitting for long hours. But, using standing desks for three hours a day can help reduce weight, burning 174 more calories than you could burn sitting. That is almost 40,000 calories or twelve pounds of body weight a year.

Minimize the Risk of Heart Diseases

Sitting for 7-8 hours straight at workstation poses a severe threat to the heart. Even if you exercise an hour daily, it cannot make up for the damage sedentary work routine causes. Prolonged sitting increases the risk of heart disease by 147%. You can lower the risk by using standing desks and adopting an active lifestyle.

Reduce Blood Sugar Levels

A study found that those who stand for three hours after lunch experience a 43% drop in the after-meal blood sugar spike. In comparison, prolonged sitting increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes by a whopping 112%. So, a standing desk helps control your sugar levels.

Improve Fatigue, Lower Back Pain

According to Mayo Clinic, back pain is the third common reason for a visit to doctors in the US. Sitting for long contributes to upper and lower back pain. A study found that compared to traditional desks, standing workstations improve fatigue in overweight employees. It also found that using an electric height-adjustable standing desk reduces the musculoskeletal discomfort by 32%.

Increase Productivity and Energy Level

In a study focused on occupational sitting, 87% of participants said they feel more energetic at work when using standard desks. A sedentary routine makes you depress; using a standing workstation reduces stress and fatigue. It improves blood circulation and oxygen supply to the brain, thereby increasing your productivity level.

Word of Advice

While standing desks offer many advantages, make sure that you switch from sitting to standing gradually. For instance, at first, only stand for 30 minutes to an hour a day. Just like sitting for all day is harmful, so is standing for extended hours. Thus, the transition should be smooth and gradual. Many workplaces have already replaced standard desks with electric height-adjustable standing workstations. If you are also planning for the switch over, you can find the best standing desks for your workspace or office here.

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Lifestyle

The Role of Medicine in Achieving and Sustaining a Healthy Body Mass

Published

18 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

The CDC’s latest numbers classify approximately 42 percent of Americans as obese, and over two-thirds of American adults qualify as either obese or overweight. Living with excess weight heightens people’s risk for debilitating and chronic but otherwise preventable conditions like stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

With new weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy on the rise, many are wondering if these medications live up to their hype and can even help end the obesity epidemic. Sergio Padron, founder and CEO of online healthcare and weight-loss support company MD Exam, believes they can — up to a point.

“It’s important to approach these medications with a thorough understanding of what they can and can’t do,” Padron says. “Magic pills for weight loss don’t exist.”

The importance of achieving a healthy body mass

According to Padron, achieving and sustaining a healthy body mass is key to good health. To obtain your body mass index (BMI), online calculators like this one from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ask for your height and weight, run them through the standard formula, and generate your score. The last step is to find this number in the standardized ranges considered underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese.

“Many healthcare professionals use the body mass index (BMI) for a quick approximation of most people’s health,” he explains. “All you need is the patient’s weight and height, and you can calculate this number.”

There are exceptions, however. “In particular, bodybuilders and other athletes can generate results that make it seem like they aren’t healthy, when in fact they’re in excellent condition,” Padron explains. “That’s because BMI doesn’t consider muscle mass, and muscle is more dense than fat. In addition, BMI doesn’t account for visceral fat being more dangerous than fat deposits elsewhere in the body.”

That’s why Padron cautions people not to make snap judgments based on BMI alone and to seek a more comprehensive view from healthcare professionals. “Factors like body composition, blood markers, and lifestyle need to be considered,” he explains, “which is one of the many reasons why we only offer individualized care at MD Exam.”

If your BMI falls in the overweight or obese categories, then it’s time to make a change. “Unfortunately, excess body weight means you could be developing major health problems that you otherwise wouldn’t,” Padron says. “Being overweight has also been associated with depression. In my experience, it can have a negative impact on self-esteem and even lead to the development of eating disorders.”

Luckily, groundbreaking new drugs have become available to help people recover their quality of life.

How Ozempic and Wegovy can help

According to Padron, pharmaceutical solutions like Ozempic and Wegovy can help most people achieve and sustain a healthy body mass. These medications reduce appetite and increase feelings of fullness, thereby enabling people to regulate their consumption better.

“One of the most important things our patients report is that they’re no longer tormented by cravings,” Padron says. “They find it easier to avoid overeating in the first place.”

In addition, Ozempic and Wegovy have been shown to decrease visceral fat — the dangerous kind of fat deposits. “The idea is to optimize health and well-being, not just lose weight,” Padron says. “We want to make sure you lose the right pounds. When you lose visceral fat and keep muscle, you are heading in the right direction and your body composition improves.”

In some rare cases, however, Ozempic and Wegovy aren’t effective. “Luckily, other interventions can be effective in those cases, such as Tirzepatide or classic weight-loss drugs,” Padron says.

Yet Padron emphasizes that weight-loss drugs alone are insufficient to achieve and sustain a healthy body mass.

Personalized, comprehensive support

“Just taking a pill won’t make pounds disappear,” Padron says. “To lose weight, it’s necessary to get real about your lifestyle and actually change your habits. If you haven’t been exercising, for instance, then it’s time to start getting up a little earlier and going for a morning walk. If you haven’t been eating well, then it’s time to stop buying soda and junk food.”

Easier said than done? “We know it’s hard,” Padron says. “That’s why our program takes support seriously. Our medical staff works with patients one-on-one to develop treatment plans that will work for them. We also provide coaching and connect patients to each other for mutual support and accountability. MD Exam is a community. People make friends for life on our platform.”

Lose weight, feel great

Obtaining a healthy body mass often leads to increased energy levels, improved mobility, and reduced joint pain. It can also help control chronic conditions like high blood pressure and sleep apnea, as well as forestall the development of preventable diseases. If that isn’t already enough, it can also boost patients’ self-confidence and mental health.

“Our patients experience an incredible feeling of accomplishment and empowerment,” Padron says. “Losing weight can be truly transformative. I can’t tell you how many people have told me their whole outlook on life has become more positive.”

For Padron, helping people lose weight is its own reward. “I love watching people shed their depression and come back to life,” he says. “This is the most rewarding work I can imagine.”