One issue i have with standing desks at my work is they dont allow me to put my monitors far enough away from my eyes. I avoid eye issues by keeping screens 24 inches away. For now i sit and try to get up often.
One issue i have with standing desks at my work is they dont allow me to put my monitors far enough away from my eyes. I avoid eye issues by keeping screens 24 inches away. For now i sit and try to get up often.
Ghost of Igloi wrote:
stander,
I am 65, still working. I was a decent masters runner five years ago and began to face issues, largely due to sitting in my profession. I changed to a standing desk in February and have been much improved since. The issue I suffered from was very tight/short hip flexors, and soreness in the gluteus/hamstring complex. I am currently also working with a PT but I have made substantial progress with the desk and assistance of the PT. Perhaps a return to masters competition may be in the cards?
Igy
+1. Exact same issue here. I have a sit to stand version. I find myself sitting more in the morning if i've come in after a hard workout. But by the afternoon, i spend more time standing.
I had so much back pain from sitting in a bad posture all day, that I finally got a standing desk, which at first was cool, but if I don't use something to support myself in a standing position, I don't enjoy standing and working. Makes my legs more sore then running. I always end up back in my chair. I just trial tested a new standing desk chair/sit-stand, at a start-up manufacturing facility in Chicago called mHUB, and it's an awesome solution. It's got a built in standing mat. It reminds me of the leaning posts on bass boats http://www.ergoimpact.com.
How about both?
Standing has become very popular among the people because sitting too much not good for health, People who sit a lot every day it may cause of heart diseases and ruin the alignment in the pelvis and lower back.
According to research and feedback from people, it does appear that using a standing desk can have impressive benefits for health as well as increase productivity. I also have a standing desk with anti-fatigue mat, this one really helped with my back pain. There are few good reviews of the benefits of the standing desk here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_desk
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-b-trafecanty/the-benefits-and-consider_b_9996782.html
http://ergonomictrends.com/ways-beat-fatigue-standing-at-work/
Hope after reviewing the above sources you find why sitting less and standing more is such an important lifestyle change.
I also stand up as much as possible while working at the computer, and find it keeps my energy levels higher than sitting.
At work, I will always stand rather than sitting if I have a choice.
Also, I take every opportunity to walk/move while at work that I can and find I feel much better by evening time. It’s amazing the number of people at work that won’t believe that this is true and refuse to try it.
I think they wear high heels (for looking good), but then end up trying to sit as much as possible throughout the day because they feel really uncomfortable walking or standing.
I own a lot of high heels boots and shoes and would love to wear them at work,but then I always think I will feel rubbish at the end of the day if I do- as I will be trying to sit as much as possible as it is so uncomfortable to stand or walk all day in heels.
I’ve also been using a stand-up desk by Vivo
https://www.smarthomedesk.com/standing-desk-converter/
for about 2 years. I work 4 days a week from home standing and it’s great. The one day a week I have to work from the office and sit down all day is painful, I end up much more tired and grumpy after sitting all day then I am from standing all day. Though I don’t just stand, I also do some exercises, punch things when idiots email, run up the stairs to see the kids etc.
There are many interesting videos on YouTube, I’ll leave one of them here, I hope someone will help in the future.
I have a standing desk and alternate between standing at it to use my computer and taking "sitting breaks" to work on non-computer related tasks (usually reading primary literature, I work in academia). I find that being in different postures rather than the same one, whether sitting or standing, is the key for me. I also have a anti-fatigue mat and it helps. Sometimes if my legs feel sore from running I'll also wear a pair of compression socks.
I bought a standing desk to help with high hamstring tendinopathy recovery, which was alignment related. It helped because it reduced compression over the inflammation. I still use it when I need my laptop hooked up to large monitors. When I work after my long runs, though, I hate it. I’m self employed so I have the luxury of working from a recliner— and I do whenever feasible. Nothing beats putting up your feet.
A recent study from the University of Waterloo in Canada, says the golden ratio for standing-to-sitting time is between 1:1 and 3:1. This means you should aim to stand one hour for every hour you spend sitting as a minimum, and ideally you should stand for up to 3 hours for every 1 hour you spend sitting. To break it down in the context of typical office hours, this means that in an 8-hour workday you should aim to stand between 4 to 6 hours.
My strategy to prevent fatigue, is to shift the weight from one foot to the other. You can use a small footrest to keep one foot elevated when you alternate, or an anti-fatigue mat. Anti-fatigue mat is the most essential accessory for a standing desk set-up and I cannot stress enough what a difference a mat makes. Before my introduction to standing desks, I suffered two years of upper back pain, brought on primarily by (a) work related stress, (b) long hours, and (c) sitting hunched over a computer. There wasn’t a lot I could do about a and b, but c could be fixed and I switched to using Yo-Yo DESK®.
Now I feel more focused and ready to work hard when I stand. I think this is mainly because if I feel my focus trying to drift off and distract me from work, I’m more likely to use that drift to stretch or move around, and then come back to it, instead of start clicking around the internet and getting lost for hours on something else. I also think it’s because when the body is more active, so is the mind, so you’re more likely to want to do active work rather than passive clicking.
What about a desk attached to a treadmill. So a walking desk.
If you stop walking, your computer delivers an electric shock or douses you with water. It also auto emails your boss and HR.
Productivity FTW!
Most sit/stand desks are fairly expensive. I purchased mine at IKEA for less than 300 bucks. I've had it for ~ 3 years.
A bunch of observations from someone who has been doing the standing desk thing for four years now, in various configurations:
Generally speaking I've noticed absolutely zero running improvement from standing but I feel better about myself at the end of the day so I keep doing it. Regarding some questions in the thread: No, my work performance does not suffer when I stand. You get used to it pretty quickly.
My current employer bought everyone in my office Varidesks, which are awesome, even for just sitting. I love the ability to adjust the height to just the right place. When I stand at mine I do not use a mat; I actually remove my shoes and stand directly on the floor. (Typical office carpet.) For some reason my calves felt tired when I used the mat, and standing on the floor fixes the issue.
I also purchased a little "stepper" thing, called Xiser, which I keep at my desk. I use it when I'm feeling extra energetic, or especially if I don't actually need to work - for example if I'm on a web-based meeting. It does make it tougher to concentrate on work, but just like anything else you can get used to it, but getting in some light movement is a huge benefit in my opinion. However, it's definitely fatiguing if you do it for several hours; so I tend to pull it out for only an hour or two a day. To use something like that you'll need a desk that can go pretty high -- I have to raise my Varidesk all the way up to make it work. (I'm 5'11" for reference - if you're much taller than that it's not going to work, ergonomically.) You'll also need proper footwear; some form of sneaker or running shoe. My office is super-casual so that's not an issue.
At home I have a treadmill desk setup, which I don't often use. The primary issue is really that it takes a bit of time to get used to working on it -- like a couple of days -- and you need to keep up the practice. I don't work at home quite enough to stay in the mode where it works well for me. A few years ago I got to the point for a few weeks where I was walking maybe 12-14 miles a day, which sounds like a nice double dip, but after all of that walking the last thing I wanted to do after work was go for a run. (I generally run in the evening -- not a morning person.) So that wasn't so good for my running after all.
I went to a standing desk about 6 months ago. I’m to the point that I can stand all day and have little fatigue. Key things to keep in mind.
1-do it without question. Sitting for long periods is so bad for you.
2-make sure you are standing balanced. Don’t putting you weight to one side.
3-get a mat
I have a motorized sit/stand desk at one of my workstations. At first I was very excited to use it but found it very uncomfortable to work standing. I guess I'm just too fidgety on my feet. Now I never use it standing. I had considered a sit/stand for home but my work experience had me drop that idea.
Don't think of it as all or nothing. I still mostly sit (75/25), especially when training hard, but that 25% standing makes a huge difference. Adjustables are nice, but I saved money by getting a second "bar table" off craigslist that works well.
The choice of a suitable standing desk and chair is essential for health and comfort as if we are comfortable at work, our brain can give 100% to it. As I am using the best standing desk and chair, I advise you to check these.
theluxurychairs .com
I hope it will help you.
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Gary017 wrote:
There are many benefits if standing desks mats.
Standing lowers risk of weight gain and obesity.
Lower blood sugar levels.
Lower your risk of heart disease.
Standing desks appear to reduce back pain.
Improve mood and energy levels.
Boost productivity.
You can use mats when working on your standing desk.
Thanks for the clarification. It is really helpful
Gary017 wrote:
There are many benefits if standing desks mats.
Standing lowers risk of weight gain and obesity.
Lower blood sugar levels.
Lower your risk of heart disease.
Standing desks appear to reduce back pain.
Improve mood and energy levels.
Boost productivity.
You can use mats when working on your standing desk.
https://yogamatsireland.net/standing-desk-mats/
Nice list Gary, some more benefits:
Resolves Hemorrhoids
Fixes Bunions
Reduces Flatulence
Standing desk bro! I have one that raises and lowers so i can do both. I spent most of my day standing, stretching, moving around. Its dramatically decreased my back issues.