After years of working at OU, Nicole Kendrick, Assistant Director of Freshman Programs, said she was tired of sitting at a desk all day. The strain on her back, and on her productivity, was getting to her. She looked for a way to make the workday easier on her body. She found it in a standing desk.
In a country where obesity is on the rise and people are spending many hours at their desks, some may need a new way to get work done.
According to WebMD Health news, “a new analysis links prolonged sitting to greater odds of diabetes, heart disease and death.”
At OU and around the City of Norman, several departments organizations are moving to standing desks, exercise balls and other ways to keep their employees more fit during the workday.
For Kendrick, the standing desk eased the strain of the long workday and made her feel like she was getting more done.
“I feel more productive when I am standing,” Kendrick said.
When standing, she says her mind is focused on the work and not her back or shoulder pain.
According to the Kansas Chiropractic Foundation, posture is key to workplace productivity.
“Having good posture means your vital organs are in the right position and can function at peak efficiency,” the KCF website says. “Good posture helps contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system.”
Matt Woods, engagement marketing director at McMahon Marketing in Norman, used a standing desk all through college and says that he misses having a work desk that can help him support a good posture.
“Now that I’ve started my first full-time job out of college and I am sitting at a desk for 48 hours a week, I found myself kind of missing my standing desk,” Woods said.
Woods says that standing desks make people feel more productive, but he advises a mixture of sitting and standing for optimal performance.
“When I am sitting for long periods of time I don’t feel great either, so I’d like to mix it up for a few hours at a time,” he said.
Heather Kirkes, Fitness and Outreach Coordinator at OU Fitness and Recreation, says she has given up her desk altogether. For those who need a desk though, Kirkes advises they use a standing desk for health reasons.
“It keeps them from rounding their shoulders over,” Kirkes said.
In general, fitness experts agree that having a standing desk can give people better posture and can lower the health risks that sitting for eight hours a day can have on a person.
There are other options for staying fit at the workplace besides standing. According to American Fitness Professionals and Associates, sitting on a yoga or stability ball can be good for the core. With a stability ball, people engage their cores, which leads to an increase in strength.
Korey McMahon, CEO of McMahon Marketing in Norman, uses a stability ball instead of a desk chair sometimes.
“I sit on this yoga ball, I love it,” McMahon said. “It’s good for my back. I’ve got good posture.”
He said the switch was weird at first, but was definitely worth it in the end.
“I’m a runner and I’ve got a young child so I don’t have good posture,” he said. “Holding our child, who is almost 2 years old, my chiropractor has advised me to use a yoga ball.”
With new research coming to light on the health benefits of standing desks and yoga balls, it becomes quite clear that in the years to come individuals will have more options when it comes to the way they do work.
“I know it is not for everybody, but I know it has been great for myself,” McMahon said.
