• BBC Sounds podcast investigates standing desks and their health claims
• Experts suggest alternating sitting and standing every 30 minutes with reminders
• Simple kitchen timers can help users adjust better to sit–stand desk routines

The best standing desks have become popular in offices and home workspaces, promoted as a way to reduce the well-reported health risks linked with long hours of sitting.

Advocates say alternating between sitting and standing can ease back strain, improve posture, and encourage movement during the day.

In the Sliced Bread podcast, broadcaster Greg Foot investigates products which promise to make us healthier, happier, and greener (are they really “the best thing since sliced bread”?) and in a new episode, available on BBC Sounds, has turned his attention to standing desks.

A simple little gadget

In the episode, Foot talks to Professor of Active Living and Public Health at Loughborough University, Stacy Clemes, and Dr Chris McCarthy, Clinical Fellow and Associate Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University’s School of Physiotherapy.

Sitting for eight or more hours a day is known to cause major health risks, which is one reason standing desks are growing in popularity.

The podcast discussion covers the benefits of these desks and the importance of alternating between standing and sitting (standing for too long at a time can load the lumbar spine, causing back complaints).

Stacy recommends a 50/50 split of sitting and standing, switching every 30 minutes, and suggests setting an alarm or using an app on your computer to remind you to change position.

It’s at this point McCarthy comes up with his genius suggestion: “The thing I find that’s probably the most useful part of a display screen equipment assessment with people is actually getting them to buy a kitchen timer… have it on the desk so there’s something that physically goes off to remind you to move.”

But why a timer? “If there’s an app I find I can ignore it, but if you’ve got a colorful timer that goes off and annoys everybody you’ll probably more likely to use it,” he explains.

For those considering a sit–stand desk, or struggling to adjust to one they already own, a kitchen timer could be a simple but effective tool to ensure you’re getting the proper health benefits from it.

Many people already own a kitchen timer, and if you don’t, you can pick one up for just a few dollars.

A two-pack of digital timers in green and blue is available for $4.97 on Amazon, which is a small price to pay if it helps you stay fit and healthy and ultimately contributes to extending your life.

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Wayne Williams is a freelancer writing news for TechRadar Pro. He has been writing about computers, technology, and the web for 30 years. In that time he wrote for most of the UK’s PC magazines, and launched, edited and published a number of them too.