Sit-Stand Workstations Improving Overall Health in Workplace Revolution

by Laura

Possibly the one single transformation that is to blame for the poor present physical condition of many Americans is the computer revolution in the 1990s that made the computer the focus of most office jobs, and many other types of workplaces as well. Suddenly workers were doing nothing but SITTING in front of monitors most of the day. And rather than rush to exercise once off work, they went home and sat in front of the television for another four hours.

Since the 1950s, there has been a 60 percent reduction of workers in occupations that require moderate to intense activity. Some statistics equate sitting 9 or more hours a days with smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes, in terms of heart health.

In an attempt to reverse some of that, a few companies are experimenting with standing work stations. They even have stand-up meetings.

A Minneapolis company that starting a program to stand more during the work day found that as a side benefit, it reduced upper back and neck pain by over half.

There are a few different models of sit-stand workstations and sit-stand programs offered in the marketplace, but I would like to pass on some info about the Ergotron, since that is the one I have the most data about. Ergotron offers an online Sitting-Time Calculator at sittingtime.juststand.org. It calculates how much you are sitting but also offers tips on how to reduce cardiovascular risks associated with sitting too much.

Anyway, it's a movement that is spreading slowly, either through hardware – adaptive stand-sit work stations – or through software – such as the Hotseat phone app that schedules activity breaks during your work day. (Get more information about the latter at http://gethotseatapp.com/)