Despite my eligibility for AARP, I can still run a
40-yard dash in just over six seconds, deadlift over 400 pounds and play three
sets of competitive tennis without a trip to the emergency room.
But from what I’m reading lately, that despite my
dedication to physical culture, a good portion of my workday is spent in an
unhealthy position – sitting.
According to various reports, sitting is the new smoking. And while I find the comparison a bit hard to believe considering the health of
some of the smokers I’ve known in my life, apparently a stationary posture for
eight or more hours ushers in a horde of unhealthy side effects including
slower metabolism and poor circulation. Not to mention monotony and
complacency, neither of which will do anything to increase productivity.
Enter the standing desk, which over the past year or so
has gained an enormous amount of traction in offices across the county –
including CPA firms. I had never heard about a standing desk until a former
colleague showed me a picture of one she had ordered from the office services
department and she now estimates she stands about 2-2.5 hours of every work day
in lieu of her formerly sedentary position.
As a former banquet waiter during my college years I
could tell her a thing or two about standing on your feet for hours at a time.
It wasn’t much fun then and I could not imagine actually opting for it instead
of yielding to the allure of a sitting in a plush office chair.
However, I read about one mid-sized CPA firm where a full
30 percent of its staff has gone the standing desk route. What I found even
more amazing is that the employees actually shouldered some of the cost. The
managing partner recounted how some employees admitted that while sitting, they
would get up 6-8 times a day and walk around the office – obviously not a
productive use of time. With the new desk, they claimed more energy and feeling
“vitalized.”
I don’t know if I’m ready to take the standing plunge –
if you’ll pardon the oxymoron – but it has given me something to think about.
Besides, my mother always told me that I was able to
think on my feet.
Bill, This trend is really catching on with CPAs and I am so glad. Over a year's time they have to sit at work more than about any other profession. Back in July 2013 I blogged about two firms I visited where they already had stand-up desks. Many of us have stood at the kitchen counter for hours preparing holiday meals, etc. and we didn't think a thing about it. Standing while working on a computer for a couple hours a day should be easy! Thanks for your post on this topic.
ReplyDeleteBill, This trend is really catching on with CPAs and I am so glad. Over a year's time they have to sit at work more than about any other profession. Back in July 2013 I blogged about two firms I visited where they already had stand-up desks. Many of us have stood at the kitchen counter for hours preparing holiday meals, etc. and we didn't think a thing about it. Standing while working on a computer for a couple hours a day should be easy! Thanks for your post on this topic.
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