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Get up! Stand up! Tips for selecting a standing desk

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2014 was the year I finally decided to focus on my health. And oh boy did I! I joined a gym and got excited about working out. I learned how to fuel my body with clean, unprocessed foods. I grew stronger. I lost 30 pounds and gained some killer biceps! But of all the things I accomplished this year, perhaps the most healthful and life-extending decision I made was to reduce the time I spend sitting on my bum.

The Sitting Disease
Here’s what I know: Research shows that excessive sitting can be lethal. Most of us do it all day long: in the car, on the couch, in the office. It’s so bad, that experts say it can’t be negated by exercise and can lead to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancers and early death. There’s even a name for this inactivity: the “sitting disease.”

I knew if I was really going to take this health thing seriously, I needed to sit less and move more. That’s tough to do when you have a desk job. So I set out to find a sit-to-stand office solution that would work for me.

In search of a solution
I started with a cheap hack that consisted of a 2’ x 3’ board set across two cardboard boxes. On top, I put my keyboard and my mouse. This got me on my feet, but, as you can really only stand for an hour or two at a time, it was awkward to break it down and set back up again throughout the day.

Then I started being conscious about standing while doing activities that didn’t require sitting: conference calls and meetings, or reading, for instance. And rather than sending an email to my colleagues a few offices away, I got up and paid them a visit.

This was all fine and good, but not enough to truly counteract the effects of sitting. I needed a permanent solution.

There are an amazing number of sit-to-stand options out there, ranging from adjustable desk tops to fully mechanized furniture. Some of the best I found were desktop workstations that turn your existing desk into an adjustable one. Ergotron, Kangaroo, and Veridesk are all attractive options and range in price from $300 - $600.

I wanted a full-desk option, however, to fit my two-monitor set up. Among the contenders in the height-adjustable desk category were Jesper, Evodesk, Ergo Depot, Stand Desk and XDesk. These can be pricier, ranging from $800 to over $2,000 depending on features that can include electronic adjustment, power management solutions and even add-on sound systems. Some also come with apps that alert you when it’s time to sit or stand (as if our bodies can’t tell us the same thing!).

The results
As I tend to have champagne tastes on a beer budget, I set my sights on a full sit-to-stand desk and scoured the Craigslist ads for something second-hand. Then last month — Bingo! — my dream desk appeared in the form of a beautiful bamboo-topped NextDesk. It required a two-hour drive across the state and back and another three weeks to get all the additional parts I’d need to make it complete, but it was well worth it.

I’ve lived with my new sit-to-stand desk for over a month now and have reduced my workday sitting time from about nine hours to three. I can write, design and hold meetings all while standing and I’ve noticed I have more energy than when I sat slumped over a desk all day. I love it!

I truly believe that adjustable desks and sit-to-stand solutions will become more commonplace and affordable very soon as we continue to learn about the dangers of sitting. But I wasn’t willing to wait. If sitting less and standing more can boost my chances of living a longer, healthier life, why not start right away?

A few final tips

Get a mat. Reduce the stress on your legs by getting a good desk mat. I purchased this one from Amazon.

Wear the right shoes. You’ll stand longer if you’re feet are happy. I have an extra pair of comfy shoes near my desk in the event that I’m wearing heels. Or I go barefoot.

Keep moving. Yes, sitting too much is bad, but standing too much in one place can lead to varicose veins. Who wants that? Be sure to shift your weight as you stand. Or, do what I do: turn on some tunes and dance!

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