A common question received regarding sit-standing desks is whether they can really help someone lose weight or not. Recent research in the Applied Ergonomics journal helped shine a light on the potential of sit-stand desks.
It’s no secret that looking at a standing desk, it’s promoting someone to stand and create movement. The more we move, the more calories we burn – theoretically speaking. Many people believe that height adjustable desks can work to help office workers keep their bodies engaged while they remain sedentary.
Being sedentary is well understood to raise the risks of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and premature death. Some research published has even associated prolonged sitting with up to 430,000 deaths a year worldwide. Also, when we sit, it interferes with our ability to regulate blood pressure and metabolize fat as well.
A recent study amalgamated the results of 53 studies examining the benefits of sit-stand desks, motivated to find the truth behind the popular ergonomic office furniture. Some believe it helps with weight loss while others dispute the claim. The study examined sit-standing desks across six categories – behaviour, physiological, work performance, psychological, discomfort, and posture. The results show that although people using sit-stand desks tended to spend more time standing than individuals using regular desks, it did not necessarily result in weight loss every time.
The health benefits of sit-stand desks are numerous, including relieving low back pain relief and decreasing blood pressure overall. That said, when it comes to weight loss, the results just aren’t there to conclude every person who uses ergonomic desks will experience weight loss. Although some will, others won’t. What the study also showed was that sit-stand desks did improve comfort level and behaviour tremendously. If you’re a worker who is concerned about your comfort and/or who wants to attempt to use it as a weight loss strategy, the researchers of this paper are not necessarily saying not to do it. In other words, go for it!
The big takeaway of the Applied Ergonomics study is ultimately that someone who has an ergonomic desk is not going to magically lose weight. In the same way that someone switching to healthy dieting is not magically going to melt off the pounds. There are several factors which go into weight loss, any of which can affect a person. As proper usage differs from person to person in an office setting, using your sit-stand desk the correct way at the suggested dosages likely does produce a difference in weight loss. If you’re interested in a height adjustable ergonomic sit-standing desk, shop yours at PrimeCables.