Standing Desk Benefits: My Thoughts After Using It for a Year

Stand up for health…

It’s a great slogan used by celebrities to talk about a campaign raising funds for cancer research, but it also happens to be the new slogan many of us are adopting for our general health after the new warnings:

Sitting is the new smoking — “even if you get up at five and do your P90X—if you sit six hours a day, those benefits are negated.” – Michael Perko

Unfortunately starting by age 5 we’ve been trained to spend our days sitting! More schools are even doing away with recess which means no running games for kids and a vast decline in opportunities to move, so of course we roll right on in to adulthood feeling that “to focus we must sit”.

In fact, this was one of my first issues when I tested out standing up to work.

My brain couldn’t connect standing and focused work.

PROS and CONS OF STANDING

When I set up my new desk for my new job, I knew I was going to have trouble simply sitting and remaining focused all day long.

Working for myself, I was used to taking random breaks to move around all the time…

Enter the Varidesk!

This particular option can be raised or lowered offering the option to stand or sit throughout the day. What’s the point? Shouldn’t I just convert to 100% standing if that’s so much better?

Standing all day isn’t good for you either.

This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise if you’ve ever talked with someone who is a nurse, factory worker or in retail…their bodies are TIRED at the end of the day. Not just muscles, but your heart and it can cause varicose veins.
This is PERFECT news to me because I found pretty quickly that I felt best when I would stand for a few hours, sit for an hour or so and then stand again. This up down seems to give my body and brain the perfect balance.

A few of the standing desk benefits:

Calorie Burn
Burning a few additional calories all day long does seem to be helping with my weight. I haven’t counted a calorie in months because I’m simply eating more mindfully, but I know I’ve had a few more treats with the holidays and everything is still all good.

Easier to move around
When you’re already standing it’s easier to move a little bit more, walk around while on the phone, etc.

Happy Hips
My hip stretches have always helped release tight hip flexors, but standing means they are less tight to begin with which feels good not just on the run, but all the time.

No Afternoon Slump
I feel like the mid-afternoon energy drag that often happens has disappeared. I usually stand up around 3PM and it simply allows me to feel more alert and awake for the last few hours of the work day.

Vanishing Shoulder pPin
I was having constant weird shoulder pains during the week while working hours upon hours at the computer. I couldn’t ever figure out what angle I needed to be at to let it go, but it’s completely vanished since using the Varidesk.

From a larger graphic provided by MedicalBillingandCoding.org

Thoughts on my Varidesk

Just over a couple month in to using my Varidesk I can do just about any task standing or sitting as my brain is slowly overcoming all that conditioning and I’m finding that I really enjoy standing up.

As noted in the above benefits it keeps me feeling alert and helps me switch between tasks.

I’d tried standing at my kitchen table and it was fine, but without being able to adjust the height it obviously wasn’t aligned to eliminate neck or arm strain, which is why I like being able to adjust the height any time of the Varidesk.

Currently, I stand for about 4 working hours on most days, sometimes longer but never a full 8 hours and I eased in to that just like you would ease in to a new workout program. I know there are lots of ways to create your own stand up desk, but

A. I’m not that handy
B. many then involve sitting on a high stool if you want to sit
C. they are often a lot of work to go from up to down.

The Varidesk has an easy to use handle on both sides to raise or lower the desk, which is sturdy enough to hold up to 2 monitors and a laptop. I have zero concerns about it falling or anything breaking.

If I were to have any complaint it would be that it really does take up the entire desk. All that time we spent looking for a very light feeling desk (all glass no sides) is obliterated with this big black piece on top.

A final super important note is that when I don’t use the floor mat designed by Varidesk to handle the pressures of being on your feet, I can immediately feel more pressure in my lower back, so whether you create your own or go for an option like this the foam mat is HUGE.

Have you tried standing up to work?

Isn’t it weird how we’re conditioned to sit to focus?

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Twitter: RunToTheFinish