Stand Up for Health and Productivity
Sit down and get to work.” You probably remember teachers saying that during your school years. But was it the best advice? Some research suggests that long periods of constant sitting inhibit circulation and flexibility, decrease attentiveness, and slow the body’s calorie-burning mechanisms. It’s even been dubbed the Sitting Disease.
Sitting Less During the Workday Can Result in Significant Benefits
“Sit down and get to work.” You probably remember teachers saying that during your school years. But was it the best advice? Some research suggests that long periods of constant sitting inhibit circulation and flexibility, decrease attentiveness, and slow the body’s calorie-burning mechanisms. It’s even been dubbed the Sitting Disease. The 50 or more hours spent sitting each week are now a hot topic for medical experts interested in inactivity physiology, and now some experts say there are links between sitting and obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
This information has led more companies to offer employees the option of working at a standing desk. The idea isn’t new; history features many prominent standing desk users including Thomas Jefferson, Ernest Hemingway, and Winston Churchill. However, the trend is catching on as more people experience the health and productivity benefits of working while standing.
A case in point: Some Madison employees have recently begun using a standing desk, including Tonya, Customer Care Specialist. She notes, “It gives me relief from my backpain to stand instead of sit all day.”
Even if you don’t want to invest in standing desks at your company, there are other ways to incorporate more standing into the workday:
- Stand up while talking on the phone. Doing so helps many people stay alert and adds energy to their voices—particularly useful during sales calls.
- Have stand-up meetings. It’s almost guaranteed that these meetings will take less time; when standing, people tend to get to the point more quickly.
- Take regular activity breaks. It can be as simple as getting up every hour for a five-minute walk around the hallway or a few trips up and down the stairs.
The bottom line (pun intended) is this: Employees who are more sedentary have been found to be less productive. Is it time for your company to stand up and take notice?
