In this post, I am emphasizing the correct Standing Desk posture. Standing Desks are the wave of the future and learning how to use them properly can only be beneficial. Leading companies, like Google and Facebook, are pioneering the Standing Desk revolution. Mounting research has indicated that sitting for hours a day is really, really bad for you.
We are not meant to be as sedentary as we have become. The health care system is overburdened with illnesses that are mostly preventable. With some basic lifestyle changes, heart attacks, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and strokes, to name a few, can be avoided. A fundamental lack of activity is one of the cornerstones of bad health.
Take a Stand for Your Health
It is totally possible to invigorate your working environment and have a more dynamic workflow using a Standing Desk. However, knowing the correct standing desk posture is vital to your fitness and comfort. What is the correct posture for a standing desk? You may be thinking that you already know how to stand, you just, stand, duh! But the trick is to let your bones and muscles efficiently work together and not in a stressful fashion.
Correct Standing Desk Posture
Avoid hyperextension of the knees. Hyperextension is defined as an extension of a limb or part beyond its normal limit. In other words, do not lock the knees.
Do not stand at a swiveled angle with your hips. I know it worked for Elvis but keep the hips straight but relaxed.
Use anti-fatigue mats. These can make an enormous difference to your overall comfort level by cushioning the feet and more evenly distributing weight.
Mix it up with some Desk Chair Exercises and Desk yoga Stretches.
Try the standing walk where you walk in place.
Keep the head, neck, and shoulders relaxed and upright. Avoid slouching forward. Position your keyboard, monitor, and mouse so that hunching or stretching too far forward is avoided.
Occasionally stretch back to relieve a posture that is too static.
A sit stand stool can keep you moving while seated.
Try not to slouch forward and lean on your desk. This is stressful on the back and neck in particular.
Try to counter a tendency to prefer leaning on one leg over the other.
Pay particular attention to your toes and make sure they are not pointing inward like a duck. Keep them pointed straight.
Take a tip from our martial arts friends and feel your feet securely on the ground as if you have a tap root holding them into the ground, knees slightly bent.
Periodically check alignment to see if you are leaning left or right or too far back.
Postural Cautions
The Occupational Safety and Health Association OSHA has some excellent guidelines concerning correct standing desk posture as well as sitting. In one OSHA article, the neutral position is a good working position where the joints are naturally aligned.
A small change in the ergonomics of your seating or standing can often have a large impact on your comfort level. The main point is not to stay in any one posture for too long. Twist, stretch, flex and reach up for the ceiling.
Tips for Getting More Activity
Set up an interval timer to remind yourself to stand, walk or stretch.
Gradually increase your standing time until you feel little or no strain as a result of standing.
Prolonged standing in a static posture will stress the entire body, especially the legs, feet, ankles, and spine so return to a seated position when discomfort sets in.
If you can, take a brisk 5-minute walk, even if it is only around the office.
Staircases are great for that extra cardio, use them whenever you can.
Stand and Shiver
Shivering is a really relaxing exercise that moves the lymph and is quite energizing. To stand and shiver, let your whole body shake while you loosen your wrists by flicking them quite vigorously. Shake the legs at the same time until your whole body is shaking. Don’t let your boss catch you doing this. You may not get that promotion you have been after.
Shoulder and Neck Relief
In our technosociety, the shoulders and neck are often very tense. The trapezoids can become ridged and slow circulation to the head. After sitting for a while the muscles tense up, reducing blood flow to the neck, head, and shoulders. Sometimes this is unconscious and only noticed when the shoulders ache.
Try these quick trap slaps before discomfort sets in.
Tai Chi shoulder slaps stimulate neck and shoulder muscles. Stand up and swing the right hand across the body up to the trapezius of your left side.
Do the same with the left-hand swing. Slap the right Trapezius with a very loose swing. You will soon feel a tingling sensation as the nerves are stimulated.
Shoulder rolls are another way to relax the shoulders, neck and upper arms. The best way to roll is one shoulder at a time to avoid tensing the rhomboid muscles in the upper back. This will also reduce shoulder strain.
Try these standing tips and let me know if your standing desk experience is better.
