Part two: Sitting, easy right? or is it? & our views on standing desks.
Ergonomic assessments- are you sitting properly?
One of the biggest issues we see when performing our onsite assessments is the inability to sit correctly. Sounds simple right, I mean you just sit down?
Unfortunately most people aren't aware of how to sit and set themselves up, so here are a few pointers.
• Sit well back into the chair!- I mean all the way- don't perch on the front of your chair- this is extremely common, but means you are not gaining any support from your chair.
• Adjust chair height so hip is slightly higher than knee
• Ensure feet flat on floor, shoulder width apart
• Sit in balanced upright posture with head over the shoulders
• Last and most important- move, move, move and move.
• We were not designed to sit to long periods and there's a reason why they say sitting is the new smoking.
So even if you have a perfect chair set up, you need to get and move as often as possible - I'M NOW USING CAPITALS AS I CAN'T STRESS THIS LAST POINT ENOUGH
So go on, right now as you are reading this- get up and move- or try going and talking to your colleague instead of sending an email.
Standing desks, just another fad ,or are they actual useful?
Well yes and no....confusing I know
Well depending what you do task wise, the intensity of your work and if you are suffering from any back issues they can definitely be useful; but not for everyone.
They are generally more suited to those with disc type of issues with their lower back.
Sitting all day puts a lot of pressure through already vulnerable discs and standing can keep them in a more neutral position.
For those with upper back and neck pain- as a rule they are not as useful as you still end up in the same postural position for your upper back when working from a standing vs sitting postion.
Here is some general advice to help:
Before you rush out to buy a top-of-the-line, thousand-dollar desk that moves up and down with the push of a button try these few tips!.
Start small. Any little bit of standing that you do will be an improvement over sitting all day long. Here are a few small things that you can do without even creating a standing desk.
• Commit to doing a certain work task while standing. For example, take your ph calls standing up.
• Stand while reading reports or articles.
• Take standing breaks during meetings or even have walk and talk meetings.
• Drink more water. This is not only healthy, but also a way to keep you moving–by forcing you to get up to refill your glass, and go to the bathroom.
So if you are keen for a standing desk here are a few simple tips:
EASE INTO IT- CHANGE FREQUENTLY
You can't just go from sitting all day to standing all day, you'll need to ease into it to get you body and muscle systems used to being in a different position all day. Early research suggests you should only spend 1 hour standing for every 1–2 hours sitting. So vary between sitting, standing, and walking initially.
STAND CORRECTLY
Standing takes skill, particularly if you’re not really used to doing it correctly in the first place. Standing up to work isn’t much better than sitting if you’re doing the model pose with most of your weight on a single hip or if you lean over the table and rest on your elbows.
SCREENS- HEIGHT, DISTANCE AND POSITIONING
These should be set up as your normal desk is, Screen an arms length away and you should be looking at the top 1/3 of your screen.
PAPERWORK- NO LEANING DOWN
Seems simple, but if you're reading paperwork or documents it's tempting to lean forward and rest you elbow on the desk- this pretty much negates the whole reason for a sanding desk!
FOOTWEAR- NO HIGH HEELS!
Choose your shoes wisely. Flats or your sports shoes are the way to go initially.
