How to Use Your Standing Desk

A standing desk is a dynamic tool that can help minimize back pain, burn calories, deliver a boost of energy, and increase your mental acuity. However, all of these benefits don’t suddenly materialize upon assembly – they require time, persistence, and simply knowing how to use your standing desk.

To help you properly use this dynamic tool, we’ve compiled some valuable tips. Implementing these four practices will ensure that you get the most out of your standing desk

Use Proper Standing Desk Posture

As much as you may have resented your mother’s admonition to “stand up straight,” good posture is a habit that yields major benefits with time. Although a standing desk does naturally improve your posture (unlike standing, sitting causes your neck and shoulders to lean forward), you still have to fight the urge to slouch.

Consistently implementing the postures seen above will minimize unnecessary stress on your body while you either sit or stand.

Strike a Good Sit-to-Stand Ratio 

Sitting all day is dangerous… but standing all day is not ideal, either. An adjustable height standing desk lets you move from sit to stand throughout the day, but finding the perfect ratio is still important. Here are three rules to follow for discovering how much to sit and stand.

Rule 1: Any movement every 20 minutes is good. Even if you simply stand up and stroll to and from the water cooler, this causes your leg muscles to contract, increasing blood flow and enzymes that break down fat.

Rule 2: Listen to your body. That burning feeling you get when you’ve either been sitting or standing for an extended period is lactic acid collecting in your muscles. Take this feeling as a cue to move either up or down – even just briefly.

Rule 3: Gradually increase your standing time. If you abandon your sitting desk for 8+ hours of standing a day, you will regret it later. Like any other form of physical exercise, standing for longer takes time. Set standing-time goals for yourself to accomplish, all the while obeying rules 1 and 2.

Exercise at Your Standing Desk

Granted, there are countless exercises that could be performed at a standing desk (aka, deskercises), but the real key is finding those that are undisruptive and safe for work. If workplace disruption isn’t an issue for you, then take a look at these, uh, ‘unobtrusive’ deskercises. But for the rest of us, here are a few simple deskercises to try through the workday.

Squeeze Your Glutes: Simple, sweet, and totally imperceptible, periodically tightening and loosening your gluteal muscle (aka, your butt… there, we said it…) will not just give you a firmer tush but strengthen your lower back.

Calf Raises: While standing at your desk, raise your heels a few inches off the ground, hold that position for a few seconds, and then slowly lower yourself back down.

Desk Pushups: As long as your standing desk has a sturdy frame like those Stand Up Desk Store builds, then take a step back from your desk, place your hands on the desktop edge, and do some desk pushups.

Add the Right Ergonomic Accessories

Adding the right tools to your standing desk can really take your experience up a notch, multiplying the health benefits you’re already enjoying. These office accessories are simple additions that will foster an ergonomic desk setup.

Monitor Mounts: As seen in the posture guide above, the ideal positioning will put your monitor at eye level. Monitor arms allow you to raise and lower your screens as necessary so you don’t have to crane your neck while working.

Ergonomic Floor Mat: A well-cushioned anti-fatigue floor mat will improve your energy by minimizing the strain standing puts on your legs and joints.

Ergonomic Chair: Although striking the right posture in any chair is good, using a chair that will encourage and support better ergonomics will make proper posture that much easier.

Get the Most

Here at Stand Up Desk Store, we hope that your standing desk is just the start of your healthier, more ergonomic lifestyle. Let these steps guide you towards living a better life and being a better you.