STAND UP for your Health ! - Office Furniture Company

STAND UP for your Health !

Did you know that modern human beings sit down more during the day than they sleep? And the troubling thing is that inactivity is bad for you even if you exercise. Heading to the gym is not a license to spend the rest of the day on your backside.

WHAT ENCOURAGES EMPLOYEES TO STAND MORE?

The Stand@Work study, a joint University of Sydney and Heart Foundation research project, involved desk-based office workers in the Heart Foundation Sydney Office trialing a sit-stand workstation for a four week period at work. Study participants talked about a range of factors that encouraged them to use the workstation in the standing position. These included:

• The ease of moving the workstation up and down.
• Wearing comfortable, flat shoes.
• Feeling physical benefits, such as less back pain, from sitting less.
• Feeling more energetic and alert, especially later in the working day.
• Perceived improvements in productivity from working while standing.
• Seeing others standing, which acted as a visual prompt to also stand up.
• A supportive work environment that accepted standing as normal practice, even in an open plan office.
• Formation of a new habit over time, and developing the physical capacity to gradually stand for longer periods.

The Stand@Work study was successful in reducing sitting time and increasing standing time by about an hour each work day, among those who trialed the workstation. From this study, sit-stand workstations are shown to be a feasible option for reducing sitting time in office based workers. Most of the study participants said they would keep using the workstation if they had the option. Study participants felt less self-conscious about standing, as more people trialed the workstation, indicating that it is possible to create a ‘sit less’ culture among office workers

“Officewise: a guide to health and safety in the office” (Comcare, July 2008) recommends that standing-height work surfaces be adjustable to accommodate the height differences of the range of people using them. Comcare recommends, in general, a standing height work surface be between 850mm and 950mm high. 

Office Furniture Company is unique in that it offers a complete sit-stand solution with an amazing height range of 660mm – 1060mm high. The “Axis” range of both stand-alone workstations and integrated benching system offers a wind-up user adjust action or a push-button, fully electric user adjust action. Both options are easily adjustable from the seated or standing position.

Enjoy browsing through our versatile range of Sit and Stand desks. Happy Standing !

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