Active Stools

What is the purpose of an ergonomic adjustable height stool?

Easy-to-adjust ergonomic stools are the preferred seating options for an active working set-up. They allow you to take the weight off your feet while encouraging key muscles groups in your back, core and legs to remain in motion, giving you a mini workout while you work. Importantly this increases your metabolism as you sub-consciously engage in more physical action.

You'll notice yourself either deliberately or sub-consciously swaying from side to side whenever you sit or perch on a posture stool, thereby engaging core muscle groups and boosting blood circulation. There are work performance benefits too as increased micro-movements helps you feel more energized and motivated at your desk.

How ergonomic stools help improve your posture

The first criteria when choosing an office seat to compliment new healthy habits using your standing desk, is you need a solution which helps you sit less and move more. It should be easy to move around, store under your desk but most importantly allow you to sit actively.

A properly designed active seating solution will encourage you to move your hips forward, bringing positive alignment to your spine. It should strengthen your abs as well as other muscles, thus reducing back strain and stress from building up in your shoulders.

Adjustable height stools differ from regular desk chairs or task chairs because they encourage ongoing, varied movement which engages key lower back and core muscle groups. They also facilitate the hips to slant slightly forward, moving your back into the correct positive alignment (S-Shape) and thereby reducing the risk of slouching (C-Shape). At Sit-Stand.Com, we only stock high-quality, best-performance ergonomic office stools.

Why are adjustable height stools so necessary?

Adjustable height stools help increase movement even when at your desk. They encourage ongoing gentle micro-movements, making it difficult for you to remain static even when staring at your screen or in deep concentration over documents. Health experts say: "your next position is your best position"; standing desk stools make it possible for you to make continuous adjustments to your posture and position, enabling you to move more easily and more often.

This helps reduce the proven risks associated with ‘prolonged sitting’ of 30 minutes or more at a time. Researchers advise that for health reasons, you should move more and regularly break up your sitting time as much as possible with periods spent standing, doing stretches, or taking steps away from your desk.

Even sit-stand desk users should remember to mix up periods spent standing with periods spent seated or moving around the workplace. Combining a standing desk with an adjustable height stool optimises the ergonomic benefits of active working by keeping muscle groups engaged whatever your position.

What are the benefits of using an ergonomic stool?

The top four benefits of using an adjustable ergonomic stool are as follows:

1. Reduce sitting time: The health risks linked to “prolonged sitting” are extensively researched. We are advised to avoid sitting bouts of 30 minutes or more, and regularly break up static sitting periods withstanding, a stretch, or a mini walk. Movement such as that generated through the usage of a posture stool helps to maintain or ‘jump start’ important physiological organs and processes.
2. Keep you active: An adjustable seating solution helps you to sit less and move more when using a sit-stand or standing desk in both raised and lowered positions. They make it difficult for you to remain static, and thus easier to keep moving. Health experts say "your next position is your best position"; by using an adjustable stool you will find yourself able to shift position simply and frequently.
3. Engage core muscles: Adjustable ergonomic stools encourage ongoing movements in your legs, hips, back, and core which engage core muscle groups. They also facilitate the hips to slant slightly forward, moving your back into positive alignment and thereby reducing your risk of slouching.
4. Increase productivity: People who use a posture stool find they are more alert and motivated with better concentration, increasing their worktime productivity. Users spend less time feeling fatigued, suffer fewer aches and pains and find it easier to maintain a positive attitude when using a posture stool rather than slumped in a traditional office chair.