Sitting is Killing You. Yes, you.

We didn't think we had so much in common with medicalbillingandcoding.org, but they really knocked this one out of the park.

The image says it all...

Active Sitting: Get up, Stand up

Sometimes the best way to be active while working is to avoid sitting altogether.

Each week we welcome clients into our showroom to test drive our saddle seats, kneeling chairs, and more traditional seating options. And each week we find people recognizing that one of the most effective changes you can make to encourage active sitting is to avoid sitting, and stand for part or all of your work day.

Over the past 12 months we’ve watched thousands of people make the switch to sit-to-stand desks. The abundance of information has helped make the case that moving throughout the work day is good for employees and employers alike. Whether alleviating back and neck strain, looking to shed some extra calories, or simply wanting to feel better at the end of the day, adding the ability to stand to your active sitting regimen is a realistic and substantial change you can make.

Again, there is plenty of information available about the health benefits around the web and on our site, but as a part of our active sitting series, we thought we’d take a quick look at what it’s actually like to use a sit-stand desk in an office.

Personally, I’m more of a sitter than a stander. I’ve set a goal for myself of standing up 15 minutes of every hour, and for the past year that’s worked well for me. Over the course of a typical day I’ll switch between sitting to standing several times. I often find myself standing for well past my planned 15 minutes, resuming sitting again after an hour or two. A coworker I’ll refer to as W, on the other hand, will stand well into the afternoon before sitting for the rest of the day. He’s sort of a showoff that way, but we appreciate his dedication to active sitting working all the same.

One of the most under-rated and reported on features of an electric height-adjustable desk is the ability to vary its height throughout the day—without the limits of simply sitting or standing. While the chair you are currently sitting in will absolutely work with this type of desk, the desire to sit at a traditional height of 28 or 30 inches suddenly becomes much less attractive when you can move your chair and your desk up and work at 34 or even 38 inches. We call this position semi-standing, or perching. At these heights you are able to open your hip angle which emulates the natural posture your spine takes while standing.

Put plainly: it just feels better to sit higher.

There are literally dozens of ways to use an electric height-adjustable desk. If you’ve recently made the switch or were an early adopter, we’d love to hear how you use your desk throughout your work day and how it might have evolved. As always, questions, opinions, and suggestions are welcome in the comment section.

Active Sitting: Finding the right Balans

Variable Balans by VarierAll of us would love the chance to be more active during the day. Unfortunately, the fact for many of us is extended periods of sitting is part of our daily reality. It’s been the norm for so long, it feels like there really isn’t an alternative to sitting in a traditional office chair for eight hours per day. The kneeling chair concept was invented to reduce the amount of damage we do to our bodies during these prolonged periods of sitting.

The kneeling chair encourages an upright and natural posture, an open hip angle, and proper spine alignment. Sound familiar? The same basic principles that make the saddle seat an excellent option for active sitting are also fundamental components of kneeling chairs. Both the kneeling chair and saddle seat encourage your body to move while seated, they just approach it differently.

The kneeling chair works by aligning the user’s head, spine, and hips through the ankle while seated. This position not only fully supports the spine without the need for lumbar or back support, but requires the user to regularly readjust and find this natural balance line.

When getting ready to fall asleep tonight, take note of the position of your legs. Chances are you don’t sleep with them at a 90 degree angle in front of you, but rather tucked under you slightly. Kneeling chairs achieve this same posture by tilting the pelvis forward in the chair while supporting the body’s weight with knee pads/platforms.

For those with lower work surface heights a kneeling chair can be a great option to encourage active sitting.

Ergo Depot offers a number of kneeling chairs from the Varier Balans collection. To learn more about which chair might be best for you, give us a call or check out the video below.

Quick Tips: Capisco Break-in Period

Occasionally, clients call us a few days after receiving their HAG Capisco chair, explaining they are experiencing discomfort. This is a completely normal occurrence, and one we refer to as the "Capisco Break-in Period".

Your normal, everyday task chair affords your body many ways to laze, cheat, slouch, or otherwise cause damage by putting you into positions that are unnatural and unhealthy.  Not so with the Capisco. The Capisco's unique saddle seat design and patented Balanced Movement Mechanism™ force your body to keep itself in balance. We like to think of it as "Capisco tough love." The Capisco chair will help your body remember the more natural, and healthy positions to sustainably support itself.

For some users, the Capisco break-in period will last about 2-3 weeks. The discomfort you experience during this period might be felt in the thighs, groin, buttocks, abdomen, lower back and/or the neck-shoulder region. Many people jump in the Capisco saddle and experience no break in period at all. If you are one of those lucky people, congratulations! For the rest of us, the break-in period is a small price to pay for reconnecting with better posture and a healthier lifestyle.

Note:  If you are experiencing pain while using the Capisco chair, this is not normal and we suggest that you contact your dealer immediately.

Another day, another study

USA Today released an article on a new report which links sitting too long to breast cancer and colon cancer. While this isn't news to many of our clients, the health risks of prolonged sitting are slowly creeping their way into the national conscious.

Alpa Patel of the American Cancer Society commented on the study:

In a study of 123,000 people, she found that the more time people spent sitting, the higher their risk of dying early. "Even among individuals who were regularly active, the risk of dying prematurely was higher among those who spent more time sitting," she says.

Even if you are doing half an hour of aerobic activity a day, you need to make sure you don't sit the rest of the day, Patel says. "You have to get up and take breaks from sitting."

We couldn't agree more.

While it's tough to step away from your desk during the day, making small adjustments to the way you work is more important than ever.