Last month I wrote an article titled, "I Can't Stand My Stand Up Desk." You'll probably want to read that to find out why I was even interested in the topic in the first place.
After nearly a month of my experiment, it turns out I Can Stand My Stand Up Desk — in fact, I love it! I've made a quick little video demonstrating how I first set up a temporary solution, just to test it out and see if I liked it, then how I made my own permanent standing desk. I'm in it for the long haul now!
I urge you to at least try a similar temporary setup to feel the benefits of using a stand up desk. I'm more alert, more productive, and can feel a major improvement in my overall posture, simply because my core and lower back have to work more throughout the day, rather than being completely sedentary for hours at a time. For a full list of benefits as to why you should try a standing desk, click here.
I will admit the first two or three days are tough. If you aren't used to standing for prolonged periods of time, your muscles will need to adjust to the added demand, but after the first few days, it's smooth sailing.
Although fairly rare, there are also some ready-made stand up desks if you decide you like the idea and don't want to make one yourself. Here's an example of one I found on Amazon:
If anyone already uses a stand up desk, is interested in trying one out, or has any questions at all about the whole concept, just leave it in the comments.
13,018 viewsGetting some medical advice online can always be helpful, as the net is a great source of medical info on various topics. Whether you need advice on something like back health or you know that you are going to go through pregnancy soon there are sites out there on the topic.
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My husband had a large L shaped desk that he built a base frame for, to lift the whole thing up to the right height for him to use it standing up. He loved it! It helped a lot with his back problems.
That's a great idea Silvia, I have an L-shaped desk myself, and never even thought of building an entire base frame.
You don't happen to have a picture of his setup, do you?
I like standing up at a desk. I did it for a few months about a year ago at my job. The only problem is some days you just don't feel like standing, and you are stuck. A stool can help.
I eventually found my way to a workout ball(linked above), and have been pleasantly surprised every since.
Good luck with standing.
Hey Happy Rock, I actually tried the workout ball method about a year ago. I liked it at first, until I came across a few articles that said it may do more long-term damage than good.
Of course, I'm sure there are just as many critics of standing, but I know for me personally, I can feel very tangible benefits in the early stages of using my new stand up desk.
Only time will tell, but here is a link to one of the articles I mentioned earlier if you're interested:
http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=1091
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Bryce.
Wow thank you so much! I read your posts and have converted my desk area into a stand up one. I am LOVING it and so excited about hopefully the benefits I will gain calorie-burning wise. Thanks for all your insight…it was so helpful!
Stand in the place where you work…
No problem Jen, that's great! I hope you love it as much as I do!
If you have a picture of your setup, feel free to send it in to give other readers some ideas.
It's strange: Now after over a month since my conversion, I actually have to take a break from SITTING, because I prefer standing now, haha.
I just did a similar temporary set-up as yours. Do you still like your standing desk?
Absolutely JT, I love the change and have a stronger back and core now because of it.
Hopefully you like it too and can make the change permanent.
Just let me know if you have any other questions.
Yup, I liked it today for my first day. I'm considering buying this standing desk: http://relaxtheback.com/catalog/productdetail.cfm?group_id=6393670
I'm also considering a like this: http://www.comfortchannel.com/prod.itml/icOid/1748?ovchn=FRO&ovcpn=Office&ovcrn=1748&ovtac=CMP&CS_003=2362526&CS_010=1748
Any thoughts?
Thanks much for your interesting blog!
Thanks JT, no problem!
That desk is very nice in that it can transition from standing to sitting desk very easily. The price is a bit steep, but if you can afford it, I say go for it.
As for the chair, the studies and thoughts on these seem to vary quite a bit. Ideally, if you could stay completely upright at all times, it may help, but it would require a little getting used to.
The critics say backless chairs and exercise balls promote slouching if the back tires after an extended period, placing more strain on the vertebrae.
Glad to hear you're still enjoying it, I'm looking to try something like this myself, but most of the already made ones are WAY more than I'd like to spend.