Strike a Balance Between Sitting and Standing

When a workplace is on the verge of updating their office furniture and making the switch to standing desks, sometimes a concern pops up: “I don’t want to stand all day.” This is a misconception. A standing desk does not require users to stand 100% of the time. As a matter of fact, you could, in theory, use it as a standard desk and sit 100% of the workday, although that would defeat the purpose. So how do we know how often to sit and how often to stand?

One solution is to apply the Swedish principle of Lagom. It refers to moderation or optimization. While there’s evidence to suggest that sitting all day is bad for your health, the same could be said about being on your feet for long hours without taking a load off. These extremes can be moderated with a standing desk that gives office athletes the option to do both when it feels right for them. The lagom concept doesn’t offer a one-size-fits-all approach to moderation. Instead, moderation is relative for every person and their body and their needs. Perhaps, what is most comfortable for you is to stand up during the morning when you are rested and have more energy, but to take a seat after lunch. Or quite the opposite. Standing after lunch might help you get through that dreaded three o’clock slump. Maybe it’s alternating every hour? There’s no right answer and it’s not an exact science, but we encourage you to apply the Scandinavian lagom philosophy to your workday in a step toward improving your daily experience at the office.