Many office workers who spend most of their day at a desk complain of neck, shoulder or back pain. This pain is often caused by poor posture. Slouching over a keyboard can lead to hunched shoulders. This constant tension can cause tight back and shoulder muscles that ache even after the workday ends.

An incorrect desk setup can also lead to muscular pains. Straining to see a monitor that is too far away or tilted at an incorrect angle can lead to neck strain and improper spine alignment. Improper keyboard height can also cause tension in the shoulders from having to hold your arms at an awkward angle to type effectively.

Scientists at Columbia University Medical Centre (CUMC) found that adults who spend one to two hours seated without a break have a higher mortality rate than those who sit for the same amount of time, but for shorter periods.

The researchers at CUMC’s Department of Medicine, based their Get Britain Standing on 8,000 people aged over 45. Some 77% of participants were sedentary for a shocking 12 hours per day, while for some that figure topped 13 hours. The results? People who spent most time seated, often in periods of 60-90 minutes, had an almost two-fold increase in death risk compared with those who sat less and for shorter periods of time.

Public Health England support Active Working guidelines recommending that office workers stand at least two hours a day, and eventually work up to four hours. Many people are now becoming aware of the negative health effects of prolonged sitting, and so may opt for active sitting arrangements.

As a result, stand up desks are becoming increasingly popular in the workplace. A standing desk can relieve most of the that issues that office workers suffer due to the sedentary nature of their job. When properly set up, a standing desk should allow for a 90-degree bend in the arms to the keyboard. The monitor should be tilted upwards at roughly 20 degrees and located about two feet from your eyes. It is also best to stand on a flat yet supportive surface, like an anti-fatigue mat. Sensible footwear, not high heels, also promotes natural posture.We ensure guidelines for best use of standing desks are sent to every Yo-Yo DESK® desk customer. These things combined realign your body to its natural centre and ease tension in the muscles.

Google reports show that the search results for ‘Standing Desk’ have quadrupled since 2012. Furthermore, the wave of interest at shows and industry events, continues to escalate. Simply put, the provision of workplace solutions which help build healthy working habits and increased productivity are becoming front of mind for facilities professionals.

“It’s no longer just the person with the bad back who wants an adjustable workstation, it’s increasingly a must-have for the whole team, or sales team, then marketing team and then everyone wants one. Also, when people move companies, it’s only logical that they take their standing desk habit with them.”

We get brilliant feedback on Yo-Yo DESK® products from office-based workers, but we wanted to know what bloggers would think of our Yo-Yo DESK® product. Here are a few testimonials from some bloggers who tried our products:

Home-based SME blogger Joanne Dewberry knows that people working from home are at high risk of sedentary behaviour when there are no distractions in the form of co-workers or meetings to get you away from your workstation. She found that a Yo-Yo DESK® was the perfect way to bring more activity to her working day.

Joanne says: “I’ve found that standing when I hit the office first thing is probably the most productive part of the day. I’ve just had 7 hours sleep followed by driving the children to school; by standing at my desk to sort emails and dive into my to do list I’m raring to go and full of energy. Previously mornings were met by slumping in my office chair feeling tired and sluggish, drinking vats of coffee. If I’d have known the effects of standing earlier, I’d have been doing it years ago.” Read the blog.

Glasgow-based Stephen Morrison is a civil servant by day, but also posts regular blogs about his fitness journey at howmanymiles.co.uk. Every year, his departmental staff survey requests that standing desks are provided for employees, so he was keen to try one out for himself.

Stephen says: “Firstly and most importantly, I am sitting less. At home, I am now spending at least two hours a day standing at my computer as I write, answer emails and watch TV shows whereas previously I would have been sitting on my backside. “Rather than being hunched over a desk, I now find myself standing straighter, with less rounded shoulders and less curving of my back. I also feel that I am being more productive.” Read the blog.

Yo-Yo DESK® products prove that staying active at work is the best way of burning off snack calories, confirms a new episode of Channel 4’s popular How to Lose Weight Well show.

Dr Xand van Tulleken asked volunteers to try out our new Yo-Yo DESK® BIKE, Yo-Yo BOARD® 360 balance board, Yo-Yo DESK® standing desk converter.

Each solution led to increased calorie burn over a seated desk - of course! - with the Yo-Yo DESK® BIKE coming out top for both raised energy output AND enjoyability. “All of this is much better than sitting at a desk,” Dr Xand concludes.

The Yo-Yo DESK® mantra of getting “more active, more often” is key to reducing your risk of health conditions including strokes, heart attacks and diabetes, Applied Exercise Science Professor John Buckley, of University Centre Shrewsbury, confirms in the C4 show.

The Yo-Yo DESK® BIKE is the ideal way to increase activity levels during sedentary office hours: even set at the lowest level of resistance (there are eight levels in total), constant slow pedalling allows you to increase your energy expenditure by 50% compared with sitting at your desk.

How to Lose Weight Well’s volunteer Joel confirmed that “rhythmic pedalling” on the Yo-Yo DESK® BIKE was an enjoyable way to burn calories without working up a sweat.

Yo-Yo DESK® MD Gavin Bradley says: “Our Yo-Yo DESK® BIKE is a way to keep blood circulating and promote ongoing activity even when you are seated. It is perfect for meeting rooms and break-out spaces in offices, people who work from home, or those who do extra work at home after the office day is done.”

The traditional "office empire" is experiencing radical change as we move towards a new future where Working From Home (WFH) becomes the "new norm" for millions of us. More and more companies are completely re-thinking their workplace strategy and this means it is highly probable we will experience a complete flip in the acceptance of WFH as our primary workplace. The future office will be the place we travel into less frequently and more specifically for collaborative-type work.

Responsible businesses are investing in equipping their employees so they can work safely, healthily and more effectively at home - providing standing desk and IT equipment that supports BOTH their productivity and health.

A recent survey commissioned by the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) reveals that although 41% of people have an inappropriate home working environment, an impressive 64% say their employer has invested in enabling them to work from home effectively by providing appropriate equipment.

We have seen this here at Yo-Yo DESK®, where we are delivering home-friendly active workspace solutions to a wave of workers who have been granted company funding to spend on upgrading their domestic desk set-up since lockdown.

We have also been inundated with requests from businesses wanting to ship our popular Yo-Yo DESK® risers, Yo-Yo DESK® PRO range of electric standing desks, anti-fatigue mats and motion stools direct to individual staff working from home.

Enlightened employers clearly recognise the value of providing WFH teams with the tools that will support their productivity and wellbeing. Staff too say it’s what they want: 30% of respondents to the IWFM survey said they wanted more support creating a productive workspace, for example by providing desks and seating solutions.

More of us are sitting for longer, yet 90% of staff believe their boss cares about their health - and the number of those using a standing desk has soared in the last 12 months.

Levels of dangerous office sitting time have doubled under lockdown, with around half of UK workers spending almost their whole day sitting down, according to the latest Annual Sitting Survey® from Active Working.

Some 47% of us spend practically the entirety of our working day (seven hours or longer) seated – up from just 26% pre-pandemic.

The shocking poll results come in the run-up to On Your Feet Britain, an annual day of activity sponsored by Yo-Yo DESK® , when desk-based staff participate in a variety of fun, simple activities to help break the harmful “binge sitting” habit.

Further survey results include:

• 66% of us admit that workday sitting time has increased during lockdown
• Women spend more time sitting than men: 51% of females said they spent seven or more working hours seated compared with 41% of male respondents
• The number of people with access to a standing desk has risen from a fifth to a third (31%) of workers who responded
• Prolonged sedentary behaviour is more of a problem in the public sector than the private sector: 51% of public sector staff said they daily spend more than 90 minutes at a time seated, compared with 39% among their public sector counterparts.

Spending long periods seated at a desk is proven to damage your health, contributing to conditions including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, joint issues, back problems and even certain cancers. Study after study makes it clear: #SitLess #MoveMore is the key to good physical and mental health.

There is cause of optimism, however. This year’s Annual Sitting Survey® reveals that 90% of staff believe their employer cares about their health. The number of people saying their boss cares about their health ‘very much’ has doubled since last year’s poll (rising to 30% from just 16% in 2020).

Public Health England advises that we should minimise sedentary time, spending more time on our feet, less time seated. International health bodies including the World Health Organization agree.

Standing desks are increasingly popular among office workers – is it time you got one? And why?

According to World Health Organization statistics, one in four adults fail to get enough physical activity. It estimates that up to five MILLION deaths a year could be averted if the global population was more active.

On a micro level, every one of us can improve our health by increasing everyday activity levels. The workplace is an obvious place to start given that many of us spend eight hours a day at our desks.

The simple act of using a standing desk and switching between a seated and standing position regularly is a simple way to increase your activity levels, improve your health and boost your performance.

In Scandinavia, standing desks are the norm, with employers required to provide an adjustable sit-stand desk for every worker. There’s a reason for that, with increasing amounts of scientific evidence showing that active working makes you healthier and more productive.

Using a standing desk brings multiple physical and mental health benefits as well as productivity gains. Research proves that mixing up your work style between seated and standing positions will keep your metabolism active, increase your calorie burn and engage key muscle groups.

• Increase blood circulation
  Your blood circulation will improve and blood pressure reduce, delivering benefits to your mind and body by helping keep you alert and productive. Shifting regularly between a sitting and standing position will help open up your diaphragm too, contributing to better, deeper breathing and increased oxygen flow to your brain and other vital organs.
• Boost your metabolism
  Standing up encourages movement and fidgeting. Both are important to activate key muscle groups, aid blood flow and maintain a healthy metabolic rate, as well as increasing your calorie burn. Furthermore, important enzymes which transfer bad cholesterol out of your arteries function much more effectively when you stand
• Engage key muscle groups
  Standing is of course also a weightbearing exercise, important for helping improve bone density, especially for older workers. It will also help improve your posture by preventing the shoulder slump that causes back and neck pain.
• Improve performance
  When you stand you are more confident and collaborative. Oxygen flows more easily to your head, boosting endorphins. So when you need to complete an important phone call or conclude a difficult discussion you will be much more effective doing it from a standing position. Certain tasks are done faster when standing: simple tasks, such as going through your inbox or ‘to do’ list can be dispensed with more efficiently when you switch your desk to standing mode. Standing desk users also report improved creativity, collaboration and better sleep patterns due to increased activity during working hours

For decades, standing desks were sold as ‘disability products’ for people with special ergonomic needs: the only employees lucky enough to get one were those suffering from health problems. At the same time, poor choice, poor service, unenlightened suppliers and high prices were common practice.

Yo-Yo DESK® was established to offer a fresh, simple and more positive approach. We focus exclusively on supplying and educating about active office solutions through a wide range of styles of standing desks and seating solutions, at affordable prices, backed up by expert sales advice. We also provide advice on how to best use our solutions with user guideline info packs supplied to every customer and the option of bespoke Active Working seminars for corporate customers.

Our CEO and Chief Wellness Officer Gavin Bradley explains: “I have devoted the last 5 years to improving office workers’ health, but I will not be fully satisfied until provision of a standing desk becomes a basic work right for office workers everywhere, following the lead of Denmark where it is a legal requirement.

"I am committed to ensuring that our solutions are used to maximum impact. User education increases sit-stand desk usage by a multiple of FOUR times. That’s why we offer Active Working Seminars and user guidelines FREE to ensure best practice and behaviour change become embedded to deliver improved wellness and productivity."