A standing desk is a recent development in office furniture, and it’s still a relatively uncommon option for those with workstations. But the benefits of using one are so well-documented that even if you don’t know anyone who’s tried one out, you’ve probably heard about how great they are.
Let’s start with the basics. What exactly is a standing desk? As the name implies, it’s just like any other desk, but rather than being seated, you stand to use it. Standing desks have been around since the 1950s. They were first developed as an alternative to drafting tables, but they’ve recently become more popular because of their many reported health benefits.
Standing desks allow your body to move naturally throughout the day, which keeps your circulation flowing and prevents certain health problems that can arise from being sedentary for too long (including obesity). They also burn extra calories without requiring any extra effort on your part.
Apart from these benefits, there is much more to talk about. Let’s dive in.
Burns Calories
A standing desk mainly allows you to burn more calories than a traditional desk because standing burns much more calories than sitting. Each pound that you lose is equal to 3,500 excess calories per day. This means that if you weigh 160 pounds, you will burn 450 calories per day just by standing rather than sitting.
If you can stand for the entire 8 hours you work at the office, you will burn 2,000 extra calories per week or 104,000 extra per year. This could be equivalent to losing 14 pounds in a single year just by using a standing desk rather than sitting all day long!
So how does this happen? When your body remains in one position for too long, it can cause blood vessels to constrict and make your heart work harder. When you stand up with a standing desk straight and move around frequently throughout the day, it forces your heart to pump more blood which helps to move the blood more easily through your body. This reduces the strain on your heart and makes it easier to pump blood around your body.
