If you adopt an adjustable standing desk at work, you are going to spend a lot more time on your feet. This is good for your overall health, but you do need the right footwear to get the most out of ergonomic height adjustable standing desks. Spending several hours standing is not easy on your leg and back muscles. Just ask any waitress. So here are some tips to protect your feet and make your legs and lower back just a bit more comfortable now that you’ve adopted a healthier work style with a standing desk.
The most important thing is to have a pair of comfortable shoes that provide adequate, even support. Think about the kind of shoes nurses wear. They look vaguely athletic, although without the thick, sporty heel padding of expensive trainers. Nurses favor their utilitarian, reliable, and supportive design because they minimize aches and pains while spending all day on your feet. Although most professionals cannot commit the fashion crime of wearing such practical, unattractive shoes, we can draw inspiration from nurse shoes to identify more ergonomic options.
High heels, for example, are not good for those who want to spend a large portion of their work day standing. They force the feet into an unnatural posture and also put a disproportionate amount of the body’s weight on the toes and ball of the feet, instead of distributing it evenly. But there are sensible alternatives to high heels, including lower heels and flats, that offer a compromise between style and ergonomics. Shoes that have wider, shorter heels, don’t have a narrow, crowded, pointy toe box, and are made of soft, conforming, natural leather afford a number of benefits for women’s feet. And if sensible shoes are not an option for when you walk in the door, keep a pair of work-appropriate healthy shoes at your desk to wear while you’re standing at your adjustable standing desk.
Men have it slightly easier, because the average men’s dress shoe requires only a few minor changes to be foot-healthy and perfect for standing at an adjustable standing desk. Good choices provide arch support, distribute weight evenly throughout the foot, and keep the foot close to the ground – just like those nurse shoes do. The most important thing to do when looking for healthy men’s work shoes is to actually try the shoes on and walk around in them. This makes buying a new pair of shoes online more difficult, but it’s worth it if they are actually healthier. Read the 2016 list of best shoes for standing at a MultiTable Standing Desk all day.
Another option is a fatigue pad. It is similar to a rug that you place on the workspace to soften the ground and make standing at a desk more comfortable. It decreases the floor’s impact on leg muscles and joints, which further helps create an ergonomic workspace.
An adjustable standing desk is a huge step in the right direction and will certainly make you healthier and happier, and probably more productive. But if you’re going to change your routine and spend a number of hours on your feet, you owe it to yourself to invest in some healthier shoes to protect your legs and joints.
