It seems that the danger of too much sitting has been hammered home since the dawn of time. Almost every year a new study is produced that stresses again just why we should try and stand while we work instead of sitting at our desks for extended periods a time. The facts appear to be irrefutable.
Countless research findings have drawn a strong connection between sitting for extended periods of time with a number of health concerns. These include obesity and a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels — that make up metabolic syndrome. In the most serious cases, too much sitting may increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Whether these fears have been exaggerated in order to make the headlines is open to debate. What is universally accepted however, is that too much sitting is bad for your overall health and, in some cases, could contribute to an early death. With these sombre thoughts in mind, we were heartened to see a glimmer of hope offered by an adjustable desk solution called Varidesk. In a nutshell the Varidesk is an easy to-assemble height-adjustable standing desk. The proposition is an elegantly simple one; rather than being confined to a sitting position for eight hours or more, you simply place the Varidesk on top of an existing desk, adjust its position and you’re standing – and working – in less than two minutes. Excellent. We were also relieved to find that Varidesk had neatly sidestepped the challenge of an Ikea-type product by providing the desk already assembled in its box. So all we had to do was open the packaging, take the Varidesk out and put it on our existing desk. The Varidesk comes with a genius two tier design which gives you a wide top area which can easily accommodate two monitors (our screen is a 36 inch beast which needs a lot of real estate) and a lower level for your keyboard and mouse.
In order to adjust the Varidesk to a good height the unit provides a spring-loaded boost mechanism and dual handle design which means all you have to do is squeeze the adjusters on the top tier and raise or lower the desk to any of its 11 height settings.
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Our initial fears of durability and stability were quickly put to rest once we realised that the Varidesk is built to last. Despite its easily adjustable height feature, there is a reassuring steel stability crossbar which insures the Varidesk remains as steady as the desk it’s placed on. And as far as weight is concerned, the unit can hold anything upto 16kg. More than enough for even our big screen monitor. We’ve been road testing the Varidesk for over a week now and can honestly say that it’s made a world of difference. Being able to vary whether you sit or stand at the desk gives you the feeling that you’re taking back control over your health. After a couple of days it became second nature to want to stand while working in front of a monitor in the morning and sit during the afternoon. The Varidesk may not be the complete answer to all our health issues, but, by giving you the freedom to stand or sit while you work, it’s a huge step in the right direction. At a reasonable price of £275 for the Varidesk Pro Plus 30, we anticipate that, as more offices become aware of the potential health benefits of a Varidesk, they will soon become essential office furniture. Go buy.
Contact Varidesk.com
