The World Health Organization has identified sitting (physical inactivity) as being the fourth largest killer in the world. That's a huge motivator to stand up!
Aside from the obvious neck and back issues, sitting at work (over 8 hours a day!) has been linked with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and depression. And even if you exercise when you're not sitting on your butt at work, it doesn't matter. The health risks are still just as high.
So odds are you're going to want to look into a standing desk. And if you do, there are 7 must-have standing desk accessories that will help you get the most healthful and ergonomic benefits out of your standing desk.
1. A Great Pair of Shoes
Back when you used your plain old seated desk, you'd wear whatever shoes you wanted to work. It didn't matter because you weren't on your feet. But one of the best standing desk accessories you can have is a great pair of shoes.
Why?
Because trying to spend all day standing in a pair of shoes that aren't made for it is going to cause you pain. Your back will hurt, your hips will hurt, your knees will hurt, your feet will hurt—everything will just hurt.
Quite simply, you need good quality shoes that are made to support you while standing. If you're going to be standing on your feet for 8 hours or more per day, then the least you can do is get some comfortable footwear to cushion them while doing it.
2. A Foam Roller
Foam rollers are great because they counter stiffness and poor circulation caused by inactivity. Even if you're standing all day, you're not exactly being active, so a foam roller is a great way to roll out those sore muscles.
You can also use a foam roller to stand on while at your desk. It certainly wouldn't be good for constant use, but it can be great to place one foot on and lean on to give your feet a brief break from all that standing.
Plus, if you have a foam roller with trigger points on it, you can massage your feet at the same time. This will help counter, once again, all of that inactivity.
If you can't get a foam roller or don't want to invest in one, lacrosse or tennis balls can make an excellent substitute for working out kinks and tension in those sore muscles and feet.
3. A Monitor Riser or Ergonomic Monitor Mount
This is great for making sure your monitor is always where you need it to be.
Why is that important?
Because your monitor should be positioned directly in front of you with the screen at eye level. Anything too high, too low, or off to one side or the other forces you to hold your head and neck in unnatural positions for most of the working day. And that is no good for your overall health.
Additionally, having to hold your head and neck in unnatural positions all day can cause neck and back strain.
A monitor riser or ergonomic monitor mount allows you to move your monitor up and down as needed to make sure it's in the best position for you. In so doing, you can prevent that strain you're trying to avoid.
4. Under-Desk Keyboard and Mouse Platform
If your keyboard isn't in the right place, you can strain muscles from your fingers all the way up to your neck. This can lead to anything from standard hand or wrist pain to the much more severe and serious carpal tunnel syndrome.
One of the ways to prevent this pain when you're using a standing desk is with a keyboard tray. Keyboard trays are great because you can position your keyboard to be wherever you need it to be.
The keyboard tray allows you to position your keyboard at the optimal height for typing, helping to make sure your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle and your wrists are as straight as possible (the ideal typing position).
In fact, they are very similar to a monitor riser or monitor mount because they allow you to move your equipment around until you have it perfectly situated for the best ergonomic benefits.
5. Active Seating
Active seating is great for those who want to get full benefits out of a standing desk. The thing about standing all day at work is that, even once you've gotten used to it, you're still going to find that you need a break from time to time. That's where active seating comes in.
Active seating refers to any sort of seating, stool or desk chair, that promotes movement while you sit. This can be anything from balance balls to wobbly stools to leaning seats and more.
Active seating is great for continuing to keep your muscles engaged while you're sitting. It'll sure give your core a workout! And it gives your joints a break by taking the constant pressure off of them.
Active seating will also help improve your posture and boost your energy levels. Why? Because it's not possible to slouch when you're trying to keep your balance.
6. Standing Desk Mats
The problem with a standing desk is that people quickly realize, even though sitting sucks, standing all day can suck too.
Unless you have the right standing desk accessories!
An anti-fatigue standing desk floor mat is a great—almost necessary—standing desk accessory. It will alleviate a lot of the pressure that's put on your feet, knees, hips, and lower back when you're standing all day.
7. Balance Boards
Balance boards are designed to improve your fitness, balance, and core strength while working at your standing office desk. They also help increase your productivity and overall health.
The body is not meant to stand still for long periods of time without any movement at all. So a good balance board counteracts this problem. When you're trying to balance while working, you keep both your brain and body engaged, fighting off fatigue and increasing your work product and output.
Want to Purchase Standing Desk Accessories?
Uncaged Ergonomics' believes that posture directly affects your comfort, productivity, and health. And we were so unsatisfied with the available products that we decided to design our own standing desk accessories.
Take a look at our products we've linked to in this blog post. Or contact us for more help.