Standing at an Electric Standing Desk at work requires a transition for most people. Knowing what to expect from the transition from sitting to standing at a desk helps you make it to the other side to begin enjoying the real, major benefits of sitting less and standing more.
First, most people who make the switch to standing at their desks, whether in the office or at home, don’t do it full time. They ease into it gradually and aim to reach a point where they spend just over half their workday standing. Half a day still means standing for four extra hours, standing while sending emails, standing while on conference calls, and standing while writing comments in the margin. This is a significant change.
On the first day of standing at their desk, most people experience hesitation and doubt. They may hesitate to do something unfamiliar and stand out in their office. And many doubt they can stand the entire time. As a side note, the smart way to do it is to plan out two two-hour stretches of standing in an eight-hour day: two hours first thing in the morning and then two after lunch. Starting the day standing gets you over the hurdle, and returning from lunch standing helps you avoid the drowsy feeling that comes from digesting a larger meal.
They also feel tired. This feeling can persist for as long as two weeks. And it is understandable. Standing gets blood flowing, increases your heart rate, and uses the leg muscles, some of the main things that make a standing electronic beneficial. While it might not be “exercise” in the strictest sense, standing is obviously more physically strenuous than sitting. This tiredness includes the kind that makes it easier to go to sleep after a hard day of physical labor, and the kind that you can feel in your leg muscles at the end of the day or again when you wake up.
There are early benefits to help balance out these unpleasant effects. Many people feel more energy while working, as well as better focus, starting on the first day. Standing tends to decrease that specific type of lethargy you feel in the early afternoon, especially if you stand while you work after lunch. They also sleep better due to a stronger sense of physical tiredness, especially if they minimize screen time at night in conjunction with integrating standing at an electronic desk during the workday.
Standing at an Electric Standing Desk for part of the workday yields significant long-term health benefits. When those seeming intangibles aren’t enough to motivate, knowing what early difficulties and advantages you will experience during the transition to standing can help prepare you so you adjust more quickly with less discomfort.
