How Often Should You Stand Up From Your Desk?
Work Wellness

How Often Should You Stand Up From Your Desk?

|Feb 5, 2025
14,944 Views

Your job requires you to sit with your laptop for multiple hours in a day. However, this sedentary lifestyle can lead to severe health problems, as explained by various studies. The unparalleled solution to this switching between standing and sitting. Still, how often should you get up from your desk?

In this article, you will get answers for the correct sitting and standing ratio. Additionally, you will learn about a few tips that will help you stand up at work and improve your lifestyle!

Why Switch Between Sitting and Standing?

While you may think you cannot opt-out of it, sitting down for extended periods leads to adverse health problems. Of course, sitting in itself is not harmful, but when you continue to sit for long, it causes severe muscle issues. That is because you are likely to slouch, lean back with a curved spine, bend your head, etc.

Even if you think you will make it up with the morning gym or evening exercise, TIME reports otherwise. Setting workout sessions apart, you need to switch between sitting and standing during your work hours to stay healthy. Moreover, research suggests that prolonged sitting periods increase the risk of death.

Why Switch Between Sitting and Standing?

Benefits of Switching Between Sitting and Standing

Are you still confused about the constant conflict between sitting vs standing at work and wondering how often should you stand up from your desk? Here are a few of the numerous benefits of switching positions between work!

1. Eliminates Body Stiffness and Pain

If you get a smart office desk, you will automatically maintain an ergonomic posture. You need not slouch or bend your neck when the screen is aligned with your eyes. Plus, switching positions will encourage muscle movement and eliminate body stiffness, while a straight spine will help reduce back pain.

2. Lowers Chances of Weight Gain

One of the key benefits of switching between sitting and standing is more standing time. Several studies explain that you can lose a few pounds if you stand for six hours a day instead of sitting. A sedentary position directly stores whatever you eat in the form of fats, while continuous standing uses these fats for energy.

3. Decreases the Risk of Health Issues

Whether or not you have severe health concerns like fluctuating blood sugar levels, cardiovascular problems, etc., switching positions is still beneficial. Standing between your work sessions can help lower your blood sugar level and reduce the risk of heart diseases and death. Whereas sitting for extended periods can severely increase these possibilities.

4. Increases Productivity

Another excellent benefit of changing positions while working is increasing productivity. Moreover, when you stand, your alertness level is comparatively higher, and thus, your concentration is automatically enhanced. Therefore, in the standing vs. sitting office desk war, a standing desk certainly wins!

Benefits of Switching Between Sitting and Standing

How Often You Should Stand At Work?

Now that you know about the significance of standing, the question is, how often should you stand up at work? The researched ratio for this lies between 1:1 to 1:3. That is between standing and sitting equal amounts to standing for 45 minutes every hour for an 8-hour day.

Though you got the answer of how often should you get up from your desk, it is not easy to follow. You cannot incorporate standing for so long in your routine. Well, here are a few tips to increase your standing duration while working.

1. Set Reminder

With your deadlines approaching, you often tend to overlook your health requirements. From eating on time and staying hydrated to moving your muscles—work can make you lose count of time. You can solve this by setting a reminder on your phone or computer for every 30 minutes.

With the reminder, you can go to take a 2-minute walk outside or fetch a glass of water. In this way, you will walk around for 10 minutes every hour. You can also set a reminder to switch your positions every short while.

How Often You Should Stand At Work?

2. Change Between Sitting and Standing

If you want to follow the standing rules, you can swap your position every 30 minutes. With a smart desk, you can seamlessly switch your positions between sitting and standing. It comes with an intelligent keypad that you can use to change the desk height. Moreover, the desk works with a dual-motor system.

You can save your desired desk height with its memory function and switch the adjustments in seconds. This will help you follow the 1:1 ratio of sitting vs. standing at work, letting you enjoy the benefits of standing.

3. Add Exercises To Your Working Routine

An excellent way to maintain a healthy work schedule is indulging in standing desk exercises. These are light exercises that help stretch out your muscles and burn a few calories, all from your desk. Moreover, you can also find a few exercises that you can do from your office chair itself.

Apart from this, adding office activities between your on-screen work is an efficient way of standing more often. These can be as simple as walking to the other end of the office to fetch your printouts. Also, you can move around more by visiting your colleague's desk for discussions instead of talking over messages or calls.

How Often You Should Stand At Work?

Invest in a Standing Desk to Stand More at Work

A standing desk can be a game-changer for your health. By incorporating standing into your daily routine, you reduce the amount of time spent sitting and improve your posture. If you’re thinking of switching to a more active workspace, here are a few options from Autonomous that can make it easier to stand, sit, and move comfortably:

Autonomous SmartDesk 2

This versatile standing desk features a robust frame, adjustable height settings, and a smooth transition between sitting and standing. The SmartDesk 2 is designed to support a variety of tasks, from typing to video conferencing.

Autonomous SmartDesk 2

Autonomous SmartDesk 2

star-iconstar-iconstar-iconstar-iconstar-icon3635 reviews

TopClassic Top
Dimensions53"L x 29"W x 1"H
Shipping dimensions56"L x 33"W x 3"H x 47 lbs
ColorsWhite, Black, Walnut, White Oak, Bamboo
MaterialWarp-proof MDF wood
Natural Bamboo
 
Model2-Stage3-Stage
Motor typeDualDual
Lifting speed1.1”/sec2.3”/sec
Lifting capacity250 lbs310 lbs
Noise level45 dB40 dB
Height range (without top)27.2" - 46.5"25.2" - 51"
Height range (with top)28.3" - 47.5"26.2" - 52"
Length range39.8'' - 59''40" - 73"
Frame foot width23.6''27.5"
MaterialSPCC steelSPCC steel
ColorsWhite, BlackWhite, Black, Grey
Outlet voltage110-240V110-240V
Anti - collisionYesYes
Shipping dimensions39"L x 11"W x 9"H x 51 lbs43"L x 13"W x 10"H x 70 lbs
 

Autonomous SmartDesk 5 Pro

The SmartDesk 5 Pro comes with an advanced dual motor system, ensuring smooth, quick, and noise-free height adjustments. It also includes a memory function to save your preferred sitting and standing heights.

SmartDesk 5 Pro

SmartDesk 5 Pro

star-iconstar-iconstar-iconstar-iconstar-icon42 reviews

Dimensions53"L x 29"W x 1.2"H
ColorsStone Desert, Titanium White, Meteor Grey
CoatingSpecial customize sealing paint based on Green Standard
MaterialHDF wood
 
Motor typeDual
Lifting speed1.6”/sec
Lifting capacity330 lbs
Noise level40 dB
Height range (without top)26" - 51.5"
Height range (with top)27.2" - 52.7"
Length range40.4" - 70.9"
Frame foot width26.4"
MaterialSPCC steel
ColorsStone Desert, Titanium White, Meteor Grey
Outlet voltage110-240V
Anti - collisionYes

Autonomous SmartDesk 2 L-Shaped

The L-shaped design offers more workspace, perfect for multitasking and organizing multiple monitors. This desk allows you to easily adjust from sitting to standing while offering the space you need to stay productive.

SmartDesk 2 L-Shaped

SmartDesk 2 L-Shaped

star-iconstar-iconstar-iconstar-iconstar-icon804 reviews

DimensionsFull: 77”L x 64”W x 1”H
Large Top: 77”L x 29”W x 1”H
Small Top: 29”L x 35”W x 1”H
Shipping Dimensions84"L x 35"W x 5"H x 95 lbs
ColorsWhite, Black, Walnut
MaterialWarp-proof MDF wood
 
Motor typeTriple
Lifting speed2.3”/sec
Lifting capacity400 lbs
Noise level50 dB
Height range (without top)28.4" - 47"
Height range (with top)29.4" - 48"
Length range42” - 71”
Frame foot width27.5"
MaterialSPCC steel
ColorsWhite/ Black
Outlet voltage110-240V
Anti - collisionYes
Shipping DimensionsBox 1: 54"L x 12"W x 8"H x 51 lbs
Box 2: 35"L x 21"W x 9"H x 55 lbs
 
ProsCons
The L-shaped design offers extensive room for monitors, laptops, and other work essentials.Larger size and weight may complicate the assembly process.
Triple motor system with a 400 lbs lifting capacity ensures strong, reliable operation.
 
Operates at a low noise level of 50 dB, keeping your workspace serene.
Easily switch the desk’s orientation to fit any workspace layout.
SPCC steel frame with BIFMA certification provides long-lasting stability.
Designed for quick assembly in just 15-30 minutes.
Premium finish from White, Black, or Walnut, with warp-proof MDF wood tops.

Autonomous SmartDesk Levitate

Known for its sleek design and easy-to-use controls, the Levitate offers smooth height adjustments with a non-touch button interface. It's ideal for those looking for a more minimalistic approach.

SmartDesk Levitate 2

SmartDesk Levitate 2

star-iconstar-iconstar-iconstar-iconstar-icon172 reviews

TopClassic TopUltra Top
Dimensions53"L x 29"W x 1.2"H59"L x 31.5"W x 1.2"H
Shipping dimensions56"L x 32"W x 3"H x 53lbs62"L x 35"W x 3"H x 64lbs
Cable management0.4" groove on the desktop0.4" groove on the desktop
ColorsBright AshBright Ash
MaterialNatural Solid Ash woodNatural Solid Ash wood
CoatingNitrocelluloseNitrocellulose
Net Weight50 lbs55 lbs
 
Class of protectionFront IP53
HandsetNon-touch control / One-button control
Handset colorBlack
Motor typeQuad
Column styleRound
Column size1.4" - 1.7"
Load capacity380 lbs
MaterialSPCC steel
Speed1.25 in/s
Sound level<45 dB
Rated voltage110-250V
Frame sizeClassic Frame: 53"L x 29"W
Ultra Frame: 59"L x 31.5"W
Height range26.8" - 44.1" (without Top)
SurfacePower coating
ColorModerate White
ConfigurationEmbedded handset
Anti-collision technologyYes
Storage and transport temperature14°F - 158°F
Net weight65 lbs
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