As a business owner or manager, you are probably highly invested in the long-term health of your employees. Long hours burning the midnight oil can be just the sort of drive your operation needs, but the extended time spent in that office chair can begin to take a toll on your best workers. Numerous advancements are coming out that help to mitigate prolonged damages and stress injuries resulting from the inactivity involved with being so active on the job. With recent research results signifying the dangers of Sitting for too long, you are likely looking for standing desks that can work to outfit your team with healthy habits while staying within your working budget. It’s important to find an ergonomic furniture company that puts your needs and goals first, and Applied Ergonomics is here to help bring our customers into the future of adjustable standing desks, ergonomic office equipment, workstations, and more. We take a quality approach to finding the solutions your company needs to thrive consistently and affordably, delivering reliable sit-stand desks to Chicago businesses and beyond.

Our team is here to deliver the products to fit your team, not the other way around. Applied Ergonomics delivers the best outcomes for both your workplace’s productivity and the long-term health of all of your employees. Today, we’ll highlight a few healthful benefits of being able to sit or stand at your workstation.

Sitting Can Be Dangerous!

After research was done at the Mayo Clinic, many people started to pay attention to the long-term effects of having a sedentary lifestyle. Today, the commonly accepted belief is that sitting will “kill you,” and the benefits of regular exercise are not enough to offset the dangers of sitting for long periods of time. Modern health experts advise incorporating more movement into your daily routine, taking frequent breaks to be able to stand and promote better circulation within the body. You can implement fitness initiatives to try and keep your employees from being too complacent in their movements, but remember that few products enable the benefits of being active like an adjustable standing desk.

One assessment we’ve heard is that sit-stand desks are a fad that will fade over time, and there are no real dangers from sitting in place while at work. Our forefathers sat for long periods of time over the last two centuries, and they’ve all lived normal lives!

Recent assessments have found that standing and moving instead of sitting can provide healthful benefits against a wide range of risk factors, including:

Minimizing Obesity Concerns

One researcher went through numerous processes to find the secret behind why some people become obese and others do not. Yes, genetics and diet do play a role, but this research wanted to find a quantifiable reason why people’s health differed outside of these constants. The results were not as startling as you would think — the people who lost weight moved around more on an hourly basis than those who did not. The evidence revealed that while not overly effective on an individual basis, small movements all add up to burn about 50 more calories an hour on average when compared to sedentary individuals. This minor rate differential can add up, and will definitely help those trying to eliminate extra weight. Staying sedentary, on the other hand, may only slow down your body and retain those extra calories.

Scientists believe that these small movements can all combine to speed up your metabolism, relying on consistent and minor activities to keep everything up and running. Standing at your desk is an effective start in keeping in motion, and moving around once your up may provide numerous benefits when it comes to weight control.

Resisting Metabolic Complications

Building off of our previous point is the effect that movement has on your metabolism. One concern, in particular, revolved around insulin resistance and the body’s response to increased glucose levels. This recent study found a link between inactivity and a reduced ability by the body to be able to regulate blood sugars. Essentially, a sedentary individual will likely have higher fasting blood glucose levels, a sign that the body is not responding effectively to the insulin’s response to absorb and regulate that glucose. Inactivity is now being linked to metabolic problems such as type 2 diabetes, with regular exercise being prescribed in addition to proper dieting to help individuals avoid the complications of this disease.

The act of sitting at your desk may sound very benign, but it’s important to remember that doing so may increase a number of health concerns for you and your employees. Your business can benefit fully from healthy and productive team members, so be sure to invest in ergonomic desks and other furniture to ensure that their workspace conforms to their body type, not the other way around. Next time, we’ll continue this topic by discussing a few more health concerns of sitting and the positives that our sit-stand desks can provide Chicago enterprises and beyond.

Shop our online inventory to find the sit-stand workstations that fit your workspace, or contact us today for assistance. Applied Ergonomics is proud to be your trusted source for ergonomic furniture. We look forward to hearing from you!