Standing Desks: A Smart, Healthy Option
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Have you ever seen or worked at a standing desk? Did you know they can help you move more and contribute to your overall health? Some formerly high ranking government officials do…
I met my dream desk.
Last summer I went to a meeting at a local office furniture vendor, specializing in ergonomics. Colleen Harris and her team at Harris WorkSystems have a great array of ergonomically correct chairs, desks and desktop tools. One of my favorites was an executive desk on hyraulics, so it raises to standing height of the user. Oh, that is se.xy.
Here’s a pic of the desk before it’s raised:
Here’s a pic when it’s raised to my height:
Oooooh yeah.
So, why the standing desk? There are a lot of health benefits to a standing desk. It increases your level of activity throughout the day, which helps with overall heart and body health and wellness.
As an example: I occasionally wear a pedometer, and one time clocked a 3 hour stretch of standing while working. I had almost 50% more steps clocked in that three hours than I did in an entire day of regular activity (morning till bedtime). Get my drift?
So, why don’t I have this desk in my home office? Um, because it costs in the 5 figures USD. *sigh* So, until Oprah calls, I’ll be using my current setup:
So what if you want some of the benefits of a standing desk for less than a new car?
Raise your desk. I used some risers
Work at an island. If you work from home, consider using your kitchen island and a monitor stand. Again, depending on your height, this could be an option.
Move more. I wrote a while back about using home office distractions to your advantage. Getting up to do some small chores can do wonders for your health and your sanity. (And I’m thinking of taking advantage of the sunshine outside right now…) ChiefHomeOfficer likes to move around the home in spurts, and has some great tips on how to do that.
Do a little research. I found this great discussion about the standing desk topic here at 37 Signals. There are some lower priced options (Harris WorkSystems has them too) that would be great for the home office!
There’s lots you can do to improve your health in the home office, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Standing desks appeal to me, what do you think?
Do you have (or had) a standing desk?
Hi Brandie,
I think this is a great topic that is rarely explored. With so many people working from home, sometimes the most steps we take in a day is the ten to the kitchen and back or the five to the bathroom. For most of us, there is absolutely no reason why we must sit down to do our work.
That executive hydraulic desk it seriously sweet. Having the option to sit or stand is great. I guess for five figures you can get some options. =)
The other idea - besides investing in an expensive standing desk - is to buy a tall drafting table or make it yourself. Ikea has great desk pieces that you can mix and match. There is a nice high set of adjustable legs that are meant to be for a height-adjustable drafting table (they also let you adjust the horizontal tilt of the desktop. I think a fairly nice real-wood desk could be put together easily for under $200 that way.
The kitchen island idea is a really good one. Some days I’ll set my laptop up there just as a change of scenery and to get off my a$$! =)
Thanks,
Sara
Saras last blog post..How to Recognize and Avoid Internet Business Roadblocks
I have a new goal!
I want one of these sooo bad.
You would think that standing would be hard on your back and feet after awhile, but I’ve been sitting on my butt all day and my legs, knees, back and head are aching. I can’t wait to finish working so I can have a chance to STAND!
Cassies last blog post..Getting your email under control
I just sort of made one. Put a box on my desk that was tall enough and put the laptop on it!
I also bought a mat for my feet because I knew that if I stood for very long my feet would bother me.
Trishas last blog post..Overcoming Underearning: Book Review Part 6
Wow, great comments everyone! I’m glad to see I’m not the only one going ga-ga over that desk.
Brandie Kajino, The Home Office Organizers last blog post..Quote of the Week: Simple As Possible
I’ve never heard of this before, but I gotta say I’d love to see the IT industry give it a go!
An amazing amount of health benefits from simply standing instead of sitting. And you start to use your core muscle group without you even knowing your doing it!
Great post.
Strong Ones last blog post..Damned if you do…
Thanks for the shout-out.
Whether a custom desk in a dedicated home office, or a countertop supported by a couple of old two-drawer file cabinets (my first home office), the home-based workspace - at least in these parts - has been centered around a seated position. But interestingly, I increasingly find myself working at the kitchen counter, lying on the floor, sitting on the sofa - or walking Riley (while tapping away on the BlackBerry). Seated isn’t necessarily best - for body or productivity. Just make sure you’re focused on comfort and productivity wherever you work.
But I must admit, that desk is way cool - and seemingly would satisfy all my workspace needs, except for when I walk Riley…
jeff zbars last blog post..Work-at-Home Dad Sees Telework as Path to Balance & Essay Award
I don’t particularly want a standing desk myself, but here’s a discussion of adjustable-height desks with pointers to some:
http://ask.metafilter.com/80837/Great-Adjustable-Height-Desk
Jeri Danskys last blog post..3 Perspectives: Not All Books Are Keepers
Hi Brandie,
Good thoughts. I do not have a standing desk but would love one.
However…
I do put boxes on top of my desk to stand: not exactly a touch of class, but it works and it’s okay in my environment.
In fact, this is a timely article as I have been thinking these past two days: “I’ve got to stand and do this work.”
So…
I’ll probably stand.
Thanks for the reminder,
Lee
Hello there,
I just created my own treadmill desk and discovered I need to just stand there some days. ( I overdid it and need to mix standing with the walking) I do however love not sitting in a chair all day!
I still sit for some things, since I use 2 computers, but I think this is such a great Idea. I am going to put a link to this post on my resource page.
Thank you for all the great information.
I have a standing desk at home that was really cheap (well, relatively). Fred Meyer has a “craft desk” by HD designs that is standing height. It’s narrow but long and you can get five or seven drawers (more narrow drawers or more wide ones) or a mix. They don’t always have it, but it shows up regularly.
Thanks for the mention!
I use my treadmill workstation desk as a standing desk more then as a treadmill right now. I just love the fact that I am now either standing or walking while I am on the computer at least 50% of the time.
It has only been about a month, so I don’t know how the results will turn out, but I am sure my butt won’t be as flat as it was heading towards. lol.