Could stand-up desks be the solution for office fitness?

Over the last 2 years it seems that a lot of office workers are starting to get concerned over the supposed health issues revolving around sitting down all day whilst working. It’s something which is unavoidable in nearly all offices, as using a computer generally requires you to be sat down in front of it. Research conducted by Plantronics shows that seven in ten workers think that spending all day sat at their desks is having a detrimental effect on their physical or emotional health, and that almost three-quarters only get up from their desk to go to the toilet or make a cup of tea. This kind of inactivity during the day has been proven to have a negative effect on health, so how might one combat this? One simple solution would be to try out some great desk-based exercises which can be found here: https://youtu.be/Gq_Gixe3pL0. However, there are certain solutions which attempt to combat the problem without you even having to think about it.

One of the most popular of these is investing in a stand-up desk. Varidesk offer many types of desks and accessories designed for professionals looking to improve their health and fitness in the office, and we’ve had the chance to review the Varidesk Pro Plus 36. This is a height-adjustable stand-up desk which is becoming increasingly popular thanks to its smart and versatile design.

The desk is rather large, spanning a width of 36” (as the name implies); this gives you plenty of room for two monitors or laptops. It is fairly heavy and relies on its weight in order to remain stable on your desk, but overall it feels sturdy and reliable for day-to-day office use. There’s a bit of a wobble if you lean too much weight on it, but the base always stays firmly in place. To raise or lower the height of the desk you simply have to grip two buttons on either side of the desk, raise it to your desired height and then release. The mechanism is smooth and fluid, but also feels stable no matter which height you leave it on.

The colour scheme used on the desk is simple, suave and well…black. Most of the Varidesks come with an option of a white desk, and I would recommend researching this before purchasing. Although it looks much smarter than other stand-up desks, it can could potentially clash with an office which is full of white desks and silver monitors. It has two surface layers, one for your monitors and one for your keyboard and mouse. The height of these allows your monitors to be slightly raised above your hands, even in a normal sitting position.

Being 6”4 myself, I found that the maximum height of the desk wasn’t quite high enough for me, and I ended up looking down at my monitors too much whilst working in a standing position. The best solution to this is buying a monitor stand which can raise your monitor to a more comfortable eye level, but for most people this shouldn’t be problem.

Varidesk provide a free application for iOS, Android, Windows and Macs. The app works as a timer and tells you when to sit down and stand up throughout your day, and even counts the calories burned doing so. Overall I found the app to be useful for keeping track of my day, and the calorie count was a lovely mood booster at the end of the day. The Varidesk starts at £275 for a single desk, and prices range from there. You can find out more about the full range at Varidesk.co.uk.