IS THIS THE HEALTHIEST CHAIR FOR OFFICE WORKERS?
I know it’s just a chair – but I love it.
When we launched PASSION for the PLANET (back in 2002) we deliberately chose ‘posh’ chairs. After all, you spend a lot of time in them – so they need to be comfortable, ergonomic, and durable. But somehow, they were never quite right, and as I have a back that regularly plays up, I was always looking for the perfect seating option.
And I think I have now found it. A VARIchair.
The VARIchair looks like a seat on a pod. It is single-legged with a wide base, and a comfy cushion to sit or lean on at the top. It is designed to engage your leg, back and core muscles. It also gives you the freedom to move around in the seat – keeping your body actively engaged throughout the day. The articulating pedestal allows a wide range of motion, so you can rock or stretch while sitting – or lean to grasp items filed nearby (very handy!) It also makes getting up from your desk and going for a mini-walk, much easier as you don’t even need to push the chair back. That may sound ridiculous, but we make unconscious excuses for the tiniest things; inertia is the enemy we often have to fight.
Sitting down for long periods has been shown to be deeply unhealthy. In fact, recently there has been a lot written about ‘sitting being the new smoking’. Long stretches spent sitting is a major health problem for the Western world where so many of our jobs are sedentary and require very little physical activity from one hour to the next. Studies have shown that lots of sitting each day can actually send you to an early grave. And poor sitting posture leads to a variety of problems, including lower back pain and RSI (repetitive strain injury).
So, choosing a chair that helps you get up and move about more easily, and one that encourages the correct sitting position, has to be a good investment.
To sit correctly, you need to push your hips back and adjust the seat height so that your feet are flat on the floor and your knees are slightly lower than your hips. Ensure your shoulders are relaxed and position your keyboard so that it is directly in front of your body. Your elbows should be in a slightly open position (i.e. a little more than 90 degrees at the elbow joint) and your wrists and hands should be straight (not straining up or downwards onto your keyboard).
The VARIchair has an air-lift piston that allows you to adjust the height quickly and easily. If, like me, you’ve discovered the benefits of standing at your desk, then you may also have found that your existing chair is the bit that can get in the way. When you stand up the chair has to go somewhere and after a while you may feel like resting, but not want to sit down completely. The design of the VARIchair means I can stand/sit really quickly and easily and don’t need to push the chair away from the desk and up against a wall to stop tripping over it. I can also adjust the seat height and just perch or lean on the cushion when I feel the need for a mini-rest.
I often spend long periods working away from our main office and I really miss my one-legged chair – so my only complaint is that I can’t pack the VARIchair in my suitcase and take it with me!
FACT BOX:
Stand-up/sit-down VARIdesk
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chantal Cooke is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster with a passion for the planet. In 2002 she co-founded the award-winning radio station PASSION for the PLANET and in 2009 Chantal was awarded London Leader in Sustainability status. Chantal also runs a successful communications agency – Panpathic Communications.