Blame the first two people who formed a line. Blame the powerful recliner lobby. For whatever reason, standing has developed a bad rap. I used to hate it. I’d dramatically glance at my nonexistent watch when waiting longer than two minutes to pay for groceries. But not anymore. No, I have seen the light. Or, I’m closer to it, anyway.
Two weeks ago, using some abandoned mail boxes I found around the CL office, I propped my computer monitor, keyboard and mouse high enough so that I could stand while working. Essentially, I created a standing desk. I could have gone the more expensive route – real standing desks are pricey – but as a journalist, that would have meant sacrificing my retirement fund.
Before my rudimentary invention, I equated standing desks to veganism or Pilates or math – things I’d like to be good at but am neither naturally inclined nor willful enough to practice.
Truthfully, I sort of got scared into standing. Late last year, The British Journal of Sports Medicine published the findings of a large Australian study that showed sitting for extended periods of time is worse for our health than smoking. According to The New York Times‘ story on the study:
Every single hour of television watched after the age of 25 reduces the viewer’s life expectancy by 21.8 minutes.
By comparison, smoking a single cigarette reduces life expectancy by about 11 minutes, the authors said.
What’s scarier: Those results didn’t change for people who exercise regularly.
I’m somewhere between a health freak and someone who considers french fries a vegetable. I don’t live my life according to health studies, but serious ones catch my attention from time to time. I read that Times story, conducted my own research, and found other health benefits – and scary statistics. Sitting all day increases your chances of having a heart attack by 54 percent. Standing, on the other hand, seems to breed genius. Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Jefferson, Leonardo Da Vinci and Charles Dickens worked on their feet.
Some companies have even taken the concept a step further (no pun intended) and encourage their employees to utilize standing desks, treadmill desks and even walk outside for meetings. Novel yet totally ancient concepts.
Two weeks in and I continue to feel the benefits. My focus has sharpened, my energy consistently high. My legs and back feel stronger, and I’m much more conscious of my posture. I end my days feeling more productive (maybe because my body burns about 140 calories every three hours I stand). I sleep better. Standing gives me the opportunity to expel nervous energy – I’m a natural fidgeter – that I would otherwise take home. (I also have a staring problem, which can make standing in a cubicle-filled office awkward. One coworker recently observed that she could “feel my gaze.” Guilty – and creepy.)
Standing desks may not be for everyone. Some experts in occupational health have said standing for prolonged periods without taking small sitting breaks could even be bad for us. (I’ll admit, the first few days were pretty torturous on my feet.) It’s a big commitment, and I don’t know if I’ll end the year – the week, even – standing.
But I hope I do, if for no other reason than to buy more time to eat cheese fries.
UPDATE: You asked, and I delivered. Here is a photo of my standing desk. Tweet us photos of yours.
This article appears in Jan 30 – Feb 5, 2013.
I’ve been trying to make this transition in the recording studio and am finding it difficult. What is the ideal height for the desk to achieve a good wrist angle on mouse/keyboard and prevent carpal tunnel syndrome … is belly-button high about right or higher?
Rob, I’m no expert, but what seems to work for me is keeping my keyboard and mouse right above my belly button. (That’s also what the anecdotal evidence I found suggested.)
I just made my standing desk by stacking two file folder boxes on top of my desk and putting my laptop on top! (I’m 5’8″). My mouse is on top of my three drawer desk organizer right at elbow height. This is AWESOME. I feel more of my body being used, I feel BETTER standing as I work. And, I can totally dance and groove as I type and write!
THANK YOU FOR THIS! And also not willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a stupid desk that probably wouldn’t adjust right for me anyway! 🙂 Plus, this way I can easily convert back to sitting if I need to for a spell.
So cool! Thanks, Elizabeth. I take sitting breaks but never for more than five or 10 minutes. That pattern isn’t based on research – just one I’m comfortable with. Good luck, and tell me how it goes!
I read about the Mayo clinic research last year and configured my own treadmill desk on the cheap. I wasn’t sure if I would like it, so why risk the big money. I’ve walked on my treadmill desk since last March for more than 575 miles. Welcome to the bandwagon. For tips to easily configure your own, see my video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRCIrsLWufw
I really believe that office workers have to find some way to get themselves off of their desks once in a while during their 9-to-5 jobs. But then I figured, why not just spend your time standing up? Stand up desks are indeed great for people who are stuck to their seats 8 hours in a day. I use this desk in my home office http://tinyurl.com/9h5bf8o. It’s actually faux marble but it is deceiving enough to get houseguests to think that it’s the real deal. (Plus, it did not cost me much!)
Nice article. When I switched to a standing desk b/c of back troubles I was surprised by the high prices and lack of options for standing desks, so I did the whole hack thing…I went from
1) boxes propped up on a desk with keyboard on top.
2) Encyclopedias placed under a desk to prop it up.
3) Working on top of a tall dresser in my bedroom
Until I finally built a custom standing desk out of an IKEA desk. It took about $190, no tools and only about an hour with a kit from DIYstandingdeskkit.com. I can’t say how gratifying it is to have a REAL desk and not working on a stupid collection of boxes or staring at a stack of books on the floor. Do yourself a favor and make the jump.