Purchasing a sit-stand desk is only the first step towards improving your health and enhancing your productivity. It is imperative that you not only use the desk to stand for a few minutes every hour but also stand in an ideal way, as recommended by experts. Of course, since we are all a little different in our physique and stature, the ideal position and the way of using our standing desks will also differ. So, if you think that you may not be using your standing desk in the best way possible, here are some tips which will help maximize the benefits you derive from your height adjustable desks.
- Adjust your Standing Desk to your Elbows’ Height
To ensure that your arms and hands are comfortably resting as you work on your laptops/desktops on a standing desk, you must make sure that the desk height is perfect. To do so, use a simple manoeuvre. Stand up and bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle, such that your wrists are aligned at your eye level. Now adjust the height of the desk, such that it meets the level of your bent elbows. This will ensure that your wrists are placed just the right way – neither inclined upwards or downwards, while also making sure that there is no risk of any persistent injuries to your arms.
- Correct Your Posture
When using a standing desk, your shoulders should be relaxed, and your neck must be comfortably stretched. Also, it is important that your knees are slightly bent and not locked or extended more than necessary. The ideal posture indicates that the muscles surrounding the spine are comfortable and that they are doing a good job at maintaining the body’s balance. Ensuring the right posture will help you better ease into the habit of using a standing desk, while also minimising any risk of injury or sustained harm to your body, especially your neck, back, and knees.
PRO TIP: If you are using a Standing Desk with programmable memory presets such as the Dual Motor Electric Height Adjustable Desk Frame, do save your custom height setting to enhance the ease of transition between sitting and standing. To enjoy this feature, try finding a standing desk with memory settings for up to 3 presets.
- Alternate Between Sitting and Standing
While this may come off as obvious, most new owners of standing desk do not follow this basic rule. In their excitement of reaping the health benefits and increasing productivity, they tend to stand for much longer than required. Unfortunately, people often forget that just as sitting all day can harm their health and performance, so can prolonged standing. Hence, it is strongly advised that you alternate between sitting and standing and that you should not stand for more than 30 minutes at a stretch. The ideal ratio for sitting to standing is 1:1 when you first start using a height-adjustable desk, and then 2:1 when you are more comfortable standing. This alternating action will help keep your productivity to the maximum while diminishing any chances of pain and discomfort throughout the workday.
- Customise As You Go!
We are all created differently. Some of us have long legs while others have a longer torso, some have flat foot while others have inherently weak knees. This implies that when it comes to the ideal height of a standing desk, we all have distinct needs. Thankfully for us, height adjustable desks can be easily customised based on our personal preferences and requirements. While the right positioning of your arms and wrists is important, it will only serve you well if your body is at ease. Hence, when you start using your standing desk at first, every 2-3 days try tweaking the height by just a few centimetres. This will help you find the height that works the best for you so that you can be as productive as possible while being equally comfortable.
We hope that you are now aware of some of the most crucial tips that will help ease your transition to standing desk and will ensure that you make the most of this investment.
FAQs
- What are some quick tips for using a standing desk?
Whether you are a newbie at using a standing desk or have been using one for quite some time now, you must always remember the following tips –
- Your desk height should be adjusted to your elbows height
- Your knees should never be locked while standing
- You must not stand or sit for more than 30 minutes at a stretch
- Your monitor should be at eye-level
- Your wrists must rest comfortably on the desk/keyboard
- Why Does Using A Standing Desk Make Your Legs So Tired?
Ever since you started working, you have been sitting for the better part of your workday. Standing takes some getting used to, as it takes more effort than sitting (at least at the beginning). But, don’t worry! Once you get accustomed to this change, standing will come as naturally as sitting, without any pain or tiredness. A good way to get rid of standing desk fatigue is to do a few stretching exercises, 3-4 times a day.
- Are Standing Desks Bad For Knees?
Only if you stand for prolonged stretches of time, or you stand with your knees locked or worse – you do both. If your posture is correct and if you stand for relatively short intervals of time, a standing desk would never hurt your knees. On the contrary, the ideal use of a standing desk is known to ease any joint or knee pain that you may have been suffering from.