If you work in an office setting—or perhaps even just spend a lot of time on your computer at home—you may have heard a lot of people speculating over the benefits of a standing desk. The standing desk, of course, is simply a desk that is built slightly higher so that you can work at it standing up instead of sitting down.
It is a potentially important development as many health studies advise that most people would benefit from getting more exercise, particularly if your job is especially sedentary. Indeed, many experts advise that even getting up and walking around quickly every hour is good for office workers. Standing at a desk, then, makes it a little easier to remember just how often you should make the rounds.
That was a bonus. Here are five major reasons to consider working at a monitor standing desk.
REASON #1: Lower Obesity Risk
Simply changing from sitting to standing forces you to move a little more throughout the day (as mentioned above) but while the general understanding implies that you will have an overall better health outlook, working at a standing desk could actually encourage more activity in a way that will lead to a reduced risk for obesity. Obesity is, generally, the result of not burning off fat you accumulate which is the result of poor diet and lack of exercise; so if you move more—even if you do not really change your diet—it should help you to lower your risk.
REASON #2: Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk
By increasing physical activity, even in the slightest, you not only reduce body weight but also metabolic problems that tend to accompany such conditions. This includes, then, type 2 diabetes.
REASON #3: Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk
By keeping the weight off and maintaining a stable metabolism, you dramatically reduce your overall risk for cardiovascular disease. Studies dating as far back as the 1950s warn that spending only 2 hours a day seated can increase cardiovascular health concerns by as much as 125 percent!
REASON #4: Lower Cancer Risk
Some studies also warn that extended periods of sitting has also been associated with a higher risk for some forms of cancer. The most common of these cancers are breast and colon cancer. Unfortunately, studies have not yet been able to determine what, exactly, is the cause of this.
