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I’ve suffered from back issues for years, decades even, and have visited many Osteopaths over the years. Most of them telling me to attend Pilates classes… for the rest of my life! Pregnancy and 2 children haven’t helped much either. Plus, I’ve never been one for going to the gym, but, I have finally managed to find a great Pilates teacher, who has very small classes and gives very individual attention, which has helped somewhat. What definitely doesn’t help, though, is sitting at a desk all day staring at a Monitor!

So, when I was given the opportunity to review the new Lotus™ DX Sit-Stand Workstation by Fellowes, I was over the moon. Now, although sitting all day isn’t good for anyone, neither is standing all day.

Did you know –

• That 2 hours of sitting cancels out 20 minutes of exercise[1]?!
• Prolonged sitting has been linked to high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol[2].
• Research shows a 46% increase in workplace productivity with use of standing desks[3].
• You burn 30% more calories when you are standing rather than sitting[4].

But, it’s best to be able to do a bit of both throughout the day.

The Lotus™ DX Sit-Stand Workstation sits on top of your desk and rises and lowers as you need it to. I was so excited when the desk finally arrived. I’ll admit that it was a lot bigger and a bit heavier than I initially thought it would be (13.97H x 83.19W x 61.60D / 22.68kg) and did wonder if it would actually fit on my current desk. Thankfully it did! When I got it out of the box it was preassembled, so there was nothing for me to do but take it upstairs to my home-office and place it on my desk… once I’d cleared all the rubbish from it first!

I was super impressed with how easily it went up and down too. A couple of little handles on either side effortlessly glide the workstation up and down thanks to its Smooth Lift Technology™. You can adjust the tension too, depending on how strong or weak (as in my case) your upper body is.

A few tips that I was sent along with the desk, that I’ve found really useful are –

• Research shows that long periods either just sitting or standing can have a negative effect on your health. Your body is designed to move between sitting and standing, not spend long periods in either posture.
• It’s not how long you sit or stand for, it’s how many times per day (at work and at home) you go between sitting and standing that is good for you. The more times the better.
• Your body is designed for low-intensity high volume movements. Over a whole day, week or month low intensity, high volume movements such as standing from sitting add up to burn a high number of calories.
• You may find high concentration tasks are easier when sitting and moderate or light concentration tasks easier when standing.
• Do learn to take advantage of any opportunity to stand. Examples include: someone comes to your desk for a meeting or conversation, getting a drink, speaking to someone face to face instead of sending an email & during telephone conversations. There are many other examples that you can learn to take advantage of.
• If you can add short bursts of walking after standing that’s great! But if you don’t have the time to go for a short walk, standing up and sitting down straight away is better than sitting for long periods.
• There is not one perfect posture. The next posture is the best posture.
• Try to pre-empt discomfort with a change of posture. Don’t wait for discomfort to change posture.
• Raise your sit-stand desk up at the end of the day. This can help you start of the day standing instead of sitting.
• When sitting/standing don’t be afraid to fidget. Sitting & standing still is hard work. Remember your body is designed to move!
• When standing, consider using a footrest to rest one foot at a time on. Raising one foot can help reduce the loading within the lower back and helps promote movement.

I’ve certainly found I’m more productive if I’m standing first thing in the morning, to go through emails and such. I can crack on straight away without faffing about getting my chair in the right position. Also, standing after I come back from lunch is far better than sitting scrunching up my now full stomach! And lessens that mid-afternoon slump, as a swift change in desk position quickly perks me up.

All in all, I’m so happy with this workstation and hoping it will help not only my back but my overall health and well being in the long term.

So, would you use a standing desk? Have you or do you use a standing desk? If yes, have you noticed any benefits, or not? Leave me a comment below, I’d love to know.

[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/two-hours-of-sitting-cancels-out-20-minutes-of-exercise-study-finds/

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/apps/g/page/national/the-health-hazards-of-sitting/750/

[3] https://vitalrecord.tamhsc.edu/boosting-productivity-at-work-may-simple-stand/

[4] //www.health.harvard.edu/blog/much-sitting-linked-heart-disease-diabetes-premature-death-201501227618