How to Get the Most Out of Your Sit Stand Desk Converter
02.05.2024

How to Get the Most Out of Your Sit Stand Desk Converter

Standing desk converters have risen in popularity, offering a simple solution to avoiding the health risks associated with sitting for long periods. A sit stand desk brings a whole host of benefits to the user, helping to avoid fatigue, build strength and keep active while working. However, in order to optimise your workstation and properly enhance your wellbeing, it’s essential to know how to get the most out of your sit stand desk converter. As an expert in ergonomic office tools, we’ve put together this guide to standing desk converters, offering practical solutions and guidance to support healthy working.

Alternate sitting and standing

The key to getting the most out of your standing desk converter is to ensure you’re alternating between sitting and standing throughout the day. This way, you’ll get the benefits of working at a standing desk – strengthening muscles and keeping active, as well as the benefits of sitting – reducing fatigue, without ever putting strain on one set of muscles for too long.

Generally, it’s advised to spend around one hour standing for every one to two hours sitting. If you’re just starting out with sit stand desks, you might find it beneficial to start by standing for around 30-40 minutes for every one hour spent sitting. You can then build up how long you stand from there.

Maintain good desk ergonomics

Whether you’re sitting or standing, you should always consider your workstation ergonomics so you can maintain the correct desk posture. This will include the height of your screen/s and the position of your keyboard and mouse, as well as any other equipment you need to use, such as a telephone.

Laptop stands and monitor risers are essential tools to ensure your screen is at the correct height. The top of your screen should be level or just below your eye line when you’re sitting or standing upright. Adjustable risers will allow you to find the ideal height for your ergonomic setup and will allow you to adjust the height if needed when you’re switching between sitting or standing.

When you’re using a laptop riser, you’ll need to use a separate keyboard and wireless mouse to ensure you’re not straining to reach these items on the laptop. Your elbows should be at a 90 degree angle, with your forearms parallel to the top of the desk. This should apply both when you’re sitting and standing.

Ensure you’re working at the correct height

Your sit stand desk should hold your workstation at the correct height for you to work at a comfortable posture, both sitting and standing. Ideally, it will be height adjustable, like the Leitz Ergo Cosy Standing Desk Converter. Our adjustable standing desk has a minimum height of 72 mm and a maximum height of 380 mm, giving you choice to find the optimum level. With a sliding tray to hold your keyboard and mouse, it’s perfect for use with a laptop riser, so you can maintain good ergonomics and improve posture while working.

Our standing desk converter utilises pneumatic-assisted height adjustment so you can switch easily between sitting and standing. It remains within its own, compact footprint on your desk, so it takes up less space and doesn’t require you to redo your setup each time you switch positions.

Wear the right footwear

When you’re standing, it’s essential that you wear the correct footwear. Preferably, you will work when standing while using an anti fatigue mat. The anti fatigue mat from Leitz offers additional, cushioned support for your feet, reducing fatigue and pain that can come from standing. Our mat is made from strong, soft foam that can withstand high traffic. It’s perfect for use with socks or bare feet to get the optimum level of support.

If you don’t have an anti fatigue mat to use with your standing desk, you should ensure you’re wearing comfortable shoes. You should avoid shoes that are too tight or too stiff, including high heels. Your shoes should have a strong but comfortable sole, that provides adequate arch support so you can work without pain.

Consider which activities you’re undertaking

To get the most from your sit stand desk converter, you should consider the types of activities you will undertake at work and when will be best to do each one. For example, you might find it tricky to stand while doing high-intensity, focused work such as typing long documents. However, you might prefer to take calls or do less intense tasks while standing.

However, each individual will be different and have different preferences for how they like to work. When you first start to use a standing desk converter, you might find it helpful to experiment to find what works for you.

Keep active while working

Keeping active while working is essential to maintaining good health. There are various ways you can do this, including taking a few minutes to stretch when you switch between sitting and standing, or taking part in short desk exercises such as squats, calf raises or triceps dips.

You can also utilise ergonomic tools to help keep you active at your sit stand desk. At Leitz, we offer a variety of solutions to support movement while you work, such as our sit stand desk stool. This ergonomic office stool should be used alongside a traditional chair and can be used when sitting or standing at a sit stand desk. It’s height adjustable, so you can use it for extra support while standing, or lower it for when you want to sit. It has a rounded base which encourages movement, strengthening the core and improving posture.

We offer more alternative ergonomic office chairs in our sitting balls, which should also be used alongside a traditional office chair. A sitting ball is ideal when you want additional movement while sitting at your desk, helping to relieve back pain by improving core muscle strength.

 

Leitz has a huge range of ergonomic office equipment to support productive and comfortable working, both at home and in the office.

You can read more about ergonomic working below:

Choosing the Best Ergonomic Office Chair: What to Consider

What Are The Benefits of Sit Stand Desks?

How to Set Up The Perfect Ergonomic Workstation