Why you should try working on your feet (with cardboard boxes)

Surely we have all seen this somewhat ironic image of human evolution. The last step represented is always a man sitting down, doing a thousand tasks at once, yes, but sitting down after all:This is what Australian scientists have already argued, who have studied the correlation of spending the day sitting down with the most recurrent health problems in our urban society. This is the case of cardiovascular complications, diabetes…. And the fact is that spending most of the day sitting down is related to an 11% increase in the risk of premature death. This is why the fashion of working standing up has spread in offices around the world, a trend that is already mature in the United States, where the technology companies of Silicon Valley were the driving force behind this change in the established office paradigm.

But what are the advantages of working while

standing up?

• It gives the body a break: we drive sitting down, we eat sitting down, we eagerly look for a seat on the metro or bus, we watch TV sitting down… and we work sitting down. Standing up helps to break the monotony and change the position of the body, but only for a moderate amount of time, as it is not about over-exerting the body.
• It speeds up the metabolism: it helps to slow down the effects of a sedentary lifestyle. According to a study by the University of Chester, working while standing for three or four hours is equivalent to running 10 marathons a year. According to Rubén Medina, a consultant at Hubspot, working while standing helps him to clear his head: “when I get up, my body wakes up. I tend to work while standing, especially in the morning or after lunch, as these are times when I lack energy”
• Itreduces meeting time: what would happen if meetings were held standing up? Yes, exactly what you’re thinking: it gets more to the point and increases productivity in the office.
• Improve your body position: one of the basic rules of ergonomics is to keep your back straight to avoid aches and pains. To achieve a comfortable standing position, you have no choice but to respect it!
• It clarifies the tone of voice when talking on the phone: it complements the already common walks while talking on the phone: “In front of the public, moving and standing up gives you more strength in your speech because you can connect your body with the conversation. I also notice that when I speak standing up I feel more confident”, says Medina.

2.

why not try using cardboard boxes as desks?

With this background, it is not surprising that companies have responded to this need. In Spain, the giant Ikea sells height-adjustable desks. However, before risking a considerable budget, we can try working standing up with a low-cost solution: (re)utilising cardboard boxes.It’s nothing new that cardboard boxes serve as a regulating element for computer screens. To work standing up at ease, you only need to go one step further and place the cardboard box of the desired size just below the laptop (here you can calculate the ideal size for that box). If you have a separate keyboard, the ideal solution would be to combine two cardboard boxes of different sizes. And yet, we should not forget that working while standing is not the grail of modern health. It cannot replace regular physical exercise, but it is an innovative addition to our routine. So why not give it a try and test its effects on your own back?