Anyone using a standing desk?

[explanade]

My sense is that a lot of FIRE'd people spend a fair amount of time on the computer, if not at ER, then on other sites or other computer pursuits like photography.

So sitting for long periods of time is bad for you and since you no longer have to be at a desk for work, you can still be online without sitting.

I just ordered a new iMac and want to get an adjustable desk. My office has one of those Herman Miller electric setups, with two memory presets that lifts a corner unit as well as about a 50-inch right leg.

I use it standing a couple of times a day but probably should use it all day or most of the day.

The Herman Miller setups are several thousand. Ones made for the consumer range from around $1000 to $1500.

Fixed height desks, with a wide surface area, at least 30 inches deep by 60 inches wide, go around $800 to $1000. Doesn't seem much of a savings over the electrical adjustable ones.

Anyone have this kind of setup?

With an iPad, the temptation is the slouch back on the couch -- actually, I was looking also at getting a recliner but heard about "zero-gravity" recliners too.

There are a lot of brands out there and options. There are even some web stores which will bundle an adjustable desk with a treadmill, so you can walk while you work at the computer. Actually, I've taken my iPad to my health club for treadmill sessions, though I should probably be running faster rather than loping at a pace that still allows me to use the iPad. The treadmill indicates my heart rate only gets up to about 110 at most when I'm walking to jogging and still using my iPad.

But at least standing or avoiding sitting all day seems to be strongly encouraged.

 

[smurray5991]

I have a Kangaroo Pro adjustable sitting/standing adjustable desk that I really love. You set it up on top of a regular desk, mount your monitor to it, and slide the monitor and a working surface up and down as necessary (it's manual, not electric, but extremely simple to move). They have a couple of different versions (eg., "pro" vs. "junior", with different characteristics). They also have accessories that permit a larger standing work surface if needed. I think my whole set up cost about $500, so it's not cheap either, but I really wanted something adjustable. If you want something cheap that is 'fixed' (i.e., standing only), I saw there are a million 'how-to's' and plans on the internet for rigging one up yourself cheaply.

In my case, when I know I'm going to be in front of the computer for a long time, I set a timer so I do one hour sitting, one hour standing, and repeat (since I don't like standing all the time either). It's fantastic, and really makes a difference in how achy I feel after too much computer time.

 

[nash031]

Getting one shortly at work. Motorized up and down (didn't ask for it, but it was more available!). Hopefully I remember and I'll let you know how I like it.

I wrote this post standing up at a regular desk (though not retired and only 36!!)

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Sounds like a great idea! I should have been doing this for years. But I ain't paying that much to stand up. Nobody is going to be looking at me.

 

[soupcxan]

I have a Steelcase Series 5 and I like it. It's under $2k.

 

[explanade]

One thing I'm wondering about is if the motion is smooth.

Will a monitor wobble as the surface rises or drops and comes to a stop?

The set up in my office is that the frame of the Herman Miller is attached to the wall, so there's very little behind the edge by the wall.

At home, I might not put it right up against the wall.

 

[Al in Ohio]

Why stand when you can sit on your butt? I don't get it. If I stand for 5 mins my back starts to hurt. Sitting is comfy, especially if you get an ergo chair.

 

[growing_older]

I did the standing desk for a couple years, but my cardiologist told me to quit. Said too much standing is just as bad as sitting and recommended a treadmill desk, which seemed like overkill to me. There's someone at work who just got a stationary bike that fits under her desk, so she sits but pedals all day long.

 

[Rambler]

Before I FIREd I was planning to get a treadmill desk. I ended up just using a combo of a regular desk and a standup desk, and pacing my office while on frequent 30-60 min calls with overseas direct reports. Since FIRE, I only have my MACBook Air, an iPad and an iPhone. I'm usually outside about 10 hrs a day, most of it standing...an hour of exercise in the morning - usually a run or a walk with one of the dogs, 7-8 hours of puttering and working on landscaping and outdoor projects, an hour of supervised play for the pups, and a half hour walk in the evening for the pups.

By the time I've done all of that, I don't feel the need to have a standup desk...my easy chair works just fine.

R

 

[explanade]

One thing I read somewhere is that long periods of sitting can't be offset by exercise, that sitting all day should be avoided.

But standing all day isn't sustainable either.

 

[MuirWannabe]

RunnersWorld magazine recently did an article on this subject. The gist of the findings is the negative effects for long periods of sitting cannot be offset even by serious intense runs and workouts. Long periods of sitting is the new 'smoking'.

Don't think mega would pay for a treadmill desk. But it would be interesting to hear if others use them and how well they work.

Sitting is the New Smoking- Even for Runners | Runner's World

 

[explanade]

Thanks for the link.

So they don't say how much is too long but do say sitting more than 6 hours a day increases chances of heart disease and diabetes, even among people who exercise 60 minutes a day.

What about lying down? 6 or more hours of sleep? Could that be better for circulation? The makers of certain "ergonomic chairs" talk about "zero gravity" reclining where the feet are at the same level as the heart.

But if you're lying down in bed, isn't that the same position? Though a lot of times, you get up in the morning and your shoulders feel tired, as if lying against the bed isn't good either.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I bought a pedal exerciser to use while sitting. I did it too much and my feet started getting numb spots - I think from too much repetitive motion. I have brought it out again recently to use for shorter periods at a time.

I also bought the book, Move a Little, Lose a Lot and I think what the author says makes sense. If you go to the gym for an hour you will maybe use up an extra 300 calories a day, but if you burn an extra 100 calories an hour for 16 hours there's 1,600 calories a day, plus you keep your circulation going throughout the day. In the book they gave study participants a large amount of extra calories each day to eat, and strapped on activity monitors. The participants weren't allowed to do any formal exercising. Some people didn't gain any weight, some gained a lot, and the main difference seemed to be non-exercising activity levels.

I don't have a standing desk or a treadmill. What I do sometimes is I just walk back and forth or do yoga while I watch TV.

I do need to find more ways to work at a PC and keep my circulation going. I get a backache if I stand for long periods without walking, so I guess long term I need something like a treadmill desk.

In the past I tried sitting on a stability ball, but that really made my back hurt.

 

[explanade]

Kind of wondering if treadmill may be overkill.

May be better to force myself to go to the gym. If I had a treadmill, I might tend to rationalize skipping the gym since I'm walking all the time.

Plus, the model that one of the vendors of the desk was selling is only 18 inches wide yet costs $799 by itself. Only thing special about it seems to be that it doesn't have side rails or a pedestal with the displays and controls.

Instead, it has a little bar tethered to a cable which you would place on top of the desk.

May be overpaying for a standing desk-compatible treadmill.

 

[explanade]

Here is the combo for anyone curious:

Uplift Treadmill Desk | Shop Uplift Treadmill Desks

Amazon sells those desk treadmills and there are some reviews there:

Amazon.com: LifeSpan 2013 Model TR800-DT3 Standing Desk Treadmill, Black, Large: Sports & Outdoors

 

[daylatedollarshort]

If I did the treadmill desk I would try to make my own with a used treadmill from Craigslist. There are a number of web sites with instructions on how to set one up.

Our kids use the Internet on their big screen TV through Xbox. I want to do something similar because then I'd have room in front of the screen for a treadmill or exercycle or whatever I can figure out how to attach a keyboard to. I think the bigger screen will be easier on my aging eyes, too.

 

[explanade]

Well using a treadmill while watching TV is another matter, kind of.

More and more, people are using "second screens" when watching TV, such as tablets and so forth.

Those activities do encourage more time spent being sedentary.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Well using a treadmill while watching TV is another matter, kind of.

More and more, people are using "second screens" when watching TV, such as tablets and so forth.

Those activities do encourage more time spent being sedentary.

I want to browse the web on my TV, not just watch TV, and use a treadmill or exercycle. Right now my kids do this using an xBox (well not the treadmill part) for the web access but I need to buy some kind of interface like a lap top or smart stick

Or I could get an xBox, too, and use it to surf the web and play Grand Theft Auto like Pat Linhart, of Hartford, Connecticut -

Weekend Update: Pat Lynhart | Video | Saturday Night Live | NBC (Warning: PG13 type skit from Saturday Night Live)

 

[explanade]

Well a TV is not the best for doing a lot of surfing of sites with a lot of text.

And unless you hook up a PC, the device doesn't have a good browser. Or anywhere near as good a browser as on PCs.

Maybe a tablet would work for surfing and TV for shows and movies.

 

[gomartin]

I love standing! The extra exercise from standing, plus not sitting all day, makes a big difference in how I feel. If you've been thinking about trying standing with your computer, you should do it. I use the stand steady desk and it is great! Amazon.com - The Original Stand Steady Desk - Converts Your Desk to a Stand up Desk, Adjustable Height (Black)

 

[nash031]

For those asking, almost every stand-up workstation is adjustable (the one I'm getting even motorized) to raise and lower. The point being that staying in the same position all day every day is a bad idea. Sitting weakens your core muscles, and causes leg and core muscles to shorten. Standing all day can cause lower back issues if your core is weak, but at the same time standing enhances core strength if you remember to engage it as we're designed...

Many (most?) non-trauma-related chronic lower back issues are caused by two things: (1) a weak core; and (2) tight/short hamstrings. Sitting for 8 hours a day, every day (or even close to that much), for 30-50 years of employment, school, etc., certainly contributes to both, and the effect is exacerbated if you never exercise.

So, it's not about standing all day. It's about having the ability to stand for an hour, sit for an hour, etc., and not lose productivity. I know when I stand, I stay awake easier too.

 

[braumeister]

I made my own standing computer desk a couple of years ago for zero cost. I love it!

One of the unforeseen side benefits is that after an hour or so I begin to realize that I've been standing there for an hour or so. That's a great motivator to quit for a while and go do something more productive.

 

[explanade]

For those asking, almost every stand-up workstation is adjustable (the one I'm getting even motorized) to raise and lower. The point being that staying in the same position all day every day is a bad idea. Sitting weakens your core muscles, and causes leg and core muscles to shorten. Standing all day can cause lower back issues if your core is weak, but at the same time standing enhances core strength if you remember to engage it as we're designed...

Many (most?) non-trauma-related chronic lower back issues are caused by two things: (1) a weak core; and (2) tight/short hamstrings. Sitting for 8 hours a day, every day (or even close to that much), for 30-50 years of employment, school, etc., certainly contributes to both, and the effect is exacerbated if you never exercise.

So, it's not about standing all day. It's about having the ability to stand for an hour, sit for an hour, etc., and not lose productivity. I know when I stand, I stay awake easier too.

Which model are you getting?

Some of them require some time-consuming assembly. One model I was looking at takes 30-45 minutes with a power drill (to screw parts together).

 

[sailor]

I'm typing this using The $22 DIY Standing Desk Made With IKEA Parts

I've been using it for two months, two days a week full day, evenings and occasionally on weekends.
I have mixed feelings - after the full day my back hurts from too much standing, but it works excellent for shorter period of times (let's say an hour - two at a time).
I'm deliberating next steps - either adjustable desk (expensive), which allows easy switching between sitting and standing or hacking my office chair to increase the height (I tried bar stools, but they lack back support and adjustable height).


Attached is the picture of my setup.

 

[LitGal]

To all who like to stand while you write:

You're in fine company! Hawthorne wrote novels standing up; the desk is in his "writing tower" at his house in Concord, Mass. (Where he also built a safe for his manuscripts.)

Victor Hugo did the same; his descendants donated all his bedroom furniture to the Victor Hugo House, on Place de Vosges in Paris. His desk is tall too, but heavily ornate (and the writing surface pretty battered..........writing Les Mis must have been a rough job). I was there just two weeks ago. That desk had clearly seen a work-out!

I hope you have more fun, standing as you write, than those two did! (Or, at least, that you enjoy happier topics!)