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To stand or sit at work?
Marketplace Money's Tess Vigeland recently made the switch to a standing desk.
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Karen Burkett: So I'm just going to tell you a story from my office today, The Miami Herald. Yes, The Miami Herald houses radio studios. We produce NPR stories here. Anyway, I work in a room full of journalists who, for much of the day, give their complete attention to their keyboards and computer screens. Not too much gets this crowd to stand up or to even walk around. Except for the Cuban coffee. Maru makes it in the afternoons. So anyway, there's this woman in the newsroom. Her name is Deb, Deb Acosta. She fights some nasty Miami traffic to make it to work everyday.
Burkett: Do you have any back problems?She's in her 20s, thin, energetic, smiley -- looks pretty healthy to me.
Deb Acosta: No back problems.
Burkett: Do you have any breathing problems?
Acosta: No.
Burkett: Do you smoke?Since the beginning of the year, every time I look up, she's been right there in my direct line of vision. Standing. See, Deb created a standing desk.
Acosta: No.
Burkett: Do you work out?
Acosta: No.
Burkett: What are you doing?Now Deb didn't buy an actual standing desk. Yes, they sell them online and at stores like Ikea. She reconfigured her desk to make it ergonomically correct. It's makeshift; she used a couple of cardboard boxes, some thick hardcover books and filing shelves. I wasn't the only one who noticed her new posture.
Acosta: I'm working.
Burkett: Why are you standing?
Acosta: It makes me feel better.
Burkett: What? When did you start doing this?
Acosta: I started doing this at the beginning of the year, right after vacation.
Burkett: You stand all day?
Acosta: Except when I'm driving into work and when I'm having lunch.
Acosta: A lot of other people have been like, "I've noticed you've been standing. Do you stand everyday? What's going on?" Some other people are like, "Are you leaving? Where are you going?"Deb got to me. Somewhere between hearing a talk show doctor say, "If I could tell people to do just one thing to improve their health, it would be stand," and my own personal push to be consistent about going to the gym again, because let's face it...
Burkett's daughter babbling...my 2-year-old Celia thinks tag is just the best game ever, I started to stand. I did the research. I called Dr. Alpa Patel. She's an epidemiologist.
Alpa Patel: Our studies suggested that if you sit more than six hours a day compared to sitting less than three hours a day, you will die prematurely.Die prematurely? The study Dr. Patel is talking about is the one she wrote for The American Cancer Society. It says women who sat for more than six hours a day were 37 percent more likely to die prematurely than women who sat for three hours. For men, the rate was 18 percent.
Patel: Well, when we think about technology, it used to be that you had to actually get up and go to a co-worker's desk. But now you can instant message them, you can pick up the phone, you can send them an e-mail. You don't have to actually be active, you actually can go and sit in your office for the entire day, and other than for a bathroom break, you don't really have to get up.As it turns out, employees in Silicon Valley, at companies like Facebook and Citrix, they've been doing this a while. They pushed for standing desks. There are 3,000 employees at Facebook, and about 350 standing desks at the offices. Employers have begun to push wellness programs. In the long run, those companies know they're reducing health insurance costs.
Burkett: Is there a conclusion that standing is better for you?
Patel: What we do know is that even taking short breaks from that sitting time, as little as two to five minutes an hour can have health benefits. So the bottom line is get up and stand.
SHOW US YOUR STANDING DESK
In The Miami Herald newsroom, Deb, Ari, Hannah, Jared, me -- it's five of us who are now standing. We're all doing it for our different reasons, but it's supposed to improve energy, weight loss, good posture, even your breathing. One of my other co-workers, Marco, he raised a concern.
Marco: For example, my dad was so worried about varicose veins, 'cause being a surgeon, he would stand for hours, operating.True, but maybe that's the reason you should take sitting breaks.
Acosta: I definitely feel more energized. The fact that I'm standing there, if I get distracted by some silly YouTube video, I kind of notice it more easily. Like, oh wait a second, I'm standing here, I need to get work done.Oh, more focused employees for the employer. Are you listening, CEOs? But for me, it's a small change to make at the workplace for my good health. From 1 Herald Plaza in Miami, I'm Karen Burkett for Marketplace.
I sit AND stand at work-- I've read that this is a good combination for your metabolism, and besides too much of one thing is generally a bad thing. So I stand for most of the day and take "sitting breaks." As far as your comments about foot comfort-- valid. But I think the days are past that women need to waltz around in heels, hasn't it? I'm at my desk right now wearing some comfortable tennis shoes.
Also, a mat can help.
Have you guys considered an adjustable height desk rather than just a standing desk? Personally, I use the NextDesk Terra at work, which I really like. It means I don't have to move all of my stuff to a completely separate desk whenever I want to take a sitting break-- I just push a button and it lowers to whatever height I choose.
It is a bit expensive, but they just came out with a less expensive and smaller model that I'm thinking about getting for my home. You might want to look into it!
Cheers,
Natalie
Sit Stand Desk Rocks!!!!!!! Greetings from the Lone Star State of Texas.
Here last week at www.innovativeessentials.com we did a big time install for a disabled worker who needed the flexibility and versatility of a sit stand desk. The body is meant to move & flow. Save yourself, get up and stand. Keep up the great Marketplace radio shows. Every Saturday at noon we are dialed in to embrace our inner oink – oink. Give me that piggy award
A Height Adjustable Desk or Table would be a great solution for those who need to fluctuate their sitting & standing time at their desk. With a ModTable base from MultiTable.com, you can adjust the height of the desk to your comfort level. They are even customizable, and you can choose your own base color as well as top size & color! There is a lot of health information on the website explaining the health benefits of standing while you work. We are always here to help with your ergonomic set up, and any questions you may have!
What does this mean for our students sitting in our classrooms for 7 1/2 hours/day? Students do get breaks for recess/lunch, and as teachers we try to transition from place to place in the room, but would it be more beneficial for the students to stand? Would their brains be more open for learning if they were standing? Would it be better for their physical health?
I got a standing workstation more than a year ago (one at work, one at home) and it improves my well-being tremendously. Prior to standing, I got horrible tension between my shoulders and was unable to turn my neck. Fortunately, we have someone in our office that helps with these situations. He evaluated my posture and determined that a new chair would do nothing to help me because I didn't sit back in it (I hunch forward when I type). Anyway, if you are interested, you do not need a new desk, you just need the Erogotron to attach to it. - It does work!
