JUNE 2019 | HWM 00I wanted to, and the whole setup is
modular enough that I can pack it up
easily and move to another desk.
Since the beginning of the year,
I have used this device and haven’t
look back. However, when I first
started standing at work, my
overzealous efforts resulted in a sore
back and strained calf muscles. Was
I doing it wrong? Is standing worse
than sitting? Since then, I’ve settled
into habit of alternating between
standing and sitting—which
underscores the earlier-mentioned
point of not staying in any position
for too long—to great effect.
With sitting back into the picture,
maintaining a good posture
became more important. But, let’s
face it, when we’re sitting down, we
all want to be as comfortable as we
can. It is next to impossible to keep
reminding yourself to sit with good
posture. You could go the ergonomics
route, and there are plenty of options
from Singapore’s own NeueChair
to the Herman Miller Aeron, oftenregarded as the gold standard in
office ergonomics. If you are more
adventurous, you could also try the
technology route. There’s this little
device called the Upright Go posture
trainer that attaches to your back and
sends vibrations to “remind” you to
keep a good posture when it detects
you’re slouching. It’s essentially
behavioral conditioning, and over
time, you should subconsciously
maintain better posture.
My advice to anyone who wants to
start implementing ergonomics in
your life, is to do some initial research.
Listen to your body to determine
its responses to the new ergonomic
setup., and adjust the solution to suit
your own personal needs.
Ergonomics is like exercise, the
basic principles and health benefits
are there, but you’ll need a tailored
solution and be able to keep at it to
see the benefits in the long term. Your
body will eventually adjust and your
new setup will feel natural to you,
hopefully for the better.The ideal standing desk
is an adjustable unit, and
being able to alternate
between standing and
sitting at regular intervals.Health experts
do recommend
moving about
regularly during
the day so that theuser isn’t stuck at
his desk.
At the same time, health experts do
recommend moving about regularly
during the day so that the user isn’t
stuck at his desk.
In my typical workday, I’m usually
on my feet for approximately five
hours. Let me clarify; I’m not in a
profession that requires me to be on
my feet. It’s a personal choice to stand
at my desk for work that primarily
involves sitting prone and creating
content in front of a PC.
As most office desk jobs go, I don’t
have the luxury to opt for a fancy
electronic desk with all the bells and
whistles of height adjustment such
as the Omnidesk from Singapore-
based Aftershock, or going extreme
health-nut mode with a treadmill
desk from NordicTrack (I would never
have gotten the budget approved for
that anyway). Instead, I have a fixed
desktop, so I opted for a middle-of-
the-road compromise and got myself
a standing desk converter.
For the uninitiated, a standing
desk converter is basically a height-
adjustable stand that sits atop any flat
surface. It’s strong enough to hold
either your laptop or a combination of
a monitor, keyboard and mouse. This
gives me the flexibility of standing if