How to Increase Productivity with a Standing Desk

How to Increase Productivity with a Standing Desk

Medical research is clear: prolonged time spent seated without getting out of your chair is disastrous for your health. Some suggest that hours spent sitting are as bad for your health as smoking, even if you are an active person outside working hours.

Public Health England advises that adults should aim to do at least 30 minutes moderate intensity activity daily in order to help prevent or manage many common conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Evidence shows that regular activity also helps keep symptoms under control and prevents additional conditions from developing.

However, half an hour a day of moderate intensity activity accounts for just 3% of your waking time. It’s clear: 30 minutes of daily exercise is not enough to overcome the health risks of sitting too much. But researchers have found that by achieving the right balance of time spent stationery and moving, it may be possible to counteract the negative effects of sitting.

In addition to the health risks, prolonged sitting is also harmful to your productivity. Studies on the effects on productivity of breaking up sitting time with light activity - standing, stretching, moving around - are ongoing, but it is known that regular movement improves metabolic, vascular and endocrine functions, which in turn may improve cognitive functions and thus boost work performance.

Anecdotally, many Sit-Stand.Com® customers find they work more effectively and efficiently when using one of our adjustable standing desks. Checking emails, reading reports and taking calls are among the tasks that we find are best done while standing.

How to Increase Activity at Your Standing Desk

We believe it is crucial that all Sit-Stand.Com® customers know how and why to use their standing desks, which is why we send out a set of our evidence-based user guidelines with every sale.

Desk Yoga

Additionally, we offer free, short DESK Yoga videos, with moves which can each be completed within minutes and will get you into the habit of taking a regular stretching break to ease work-induced aches and prevent chronic pain. Sit-Stand.Com® customers also get FREE premium access to yoga classes with our DESK Yoga partner YogaTonic UK.

Ask Linda

Our in-house physiotherapist Linda has put together a series of short videos which explain how and why to get moving in your workplace and at your standing desk. They range from simple moves to stretch out your joints and limbs, to a demonstration of how best to use our anti-fatigue mats. Do take a look: they will revolutionise your working style.

Quick Tips to Reduce Your Sedentary Behaviour

Three ways to improve your workday activity profile:

1. Take regular mini-breaks throughout your working day. Set a timer to remind yourself to move more, sit less at regular intervals. And always take a movement break at lunchtime, even if you just walk round the block.
2. Stretch, use the stairs and walk around when you don’t have to be staring at your screen – especially while you are on phone calls.
3. Swap your desk for a standing desk and /or your seat for an active seating solution.

How Sit-Stand.com Can Help You Set Up Your Perfect Workstation

Whatever your workplace set-up, at home or in an office, we have the standing desk or standing desk converters to meet your needs, fit your space and budget.

Our Yo-Yo DESK® CLASSIC range offers standing desk converters which sit on an existing worktop; the lightweight, portable Yo-Yo DESK® LITE can be used anywhere then folded up and tucked away. Best-sellers include the Yo-Yo DESK® 90, and the Yo-Yo DESK® GO for taller users (up to 6’ 6”).

All our desks come highly recommended with customer ratings (read them via our website) that reflect their high quality and longevity.

Electric sit-stand desks operated at the touch of a button are increasingly popular, and many corporate and private customers now opt specifically for a motorised version, having heard about the benefits of standing desks. Our Flytta® range is Scandinavian-designed and awarded best-buy status by the Indy Best. A compact Yo-Yo DESK® PRO1 is the right size for almost every home (‘solid and stable’ – customer review), while different models across the PRO range provide standing desks for any space including a corner.

We recommend that every stand-up desk user opts for an anti-fatigue mat such as our Yo-Yo MAT®. Using a mat when standing supports your joints while encouraging the micro-movements that will help keep your metabolism activated and give you the full benefits of sit-stand working. Look out for our regular offers on bundles of desk, mat and supportive seating solutions.

Sit-Stand.Com also offers charity and NHS discounts – get in touch for details of these and other corporate offers. Our sales team undergo regular training in our entire product range so will be happy to advise on exactly the right set-up for your needs.

A final word of advice on setting up your perfect workstation for ultimate health, comfort and productivity. Invest in a monitor arm for your screen.

The benefits of using a monitor arm are numerous, enabling you to work more productively by keeping your desktop clear and uncluttered, making it easier to locate documents, maintaining your screen at the correct height and distance for your eyesight and posture, and reducing the risks of neck, shoulder and back pain. Using a well-designed Sit-Stand.Com® desk means your screen and keyboard will also be in the optimum position whether you are working seated or standing.