I spend a lot of time thinking about health achieved through lifestyle. I also spend a lot of time at work. Bring the two together, and you guessed it, I spend a lot of time thinking about how the work environment is a big piece of the lifestyle pie. There are a lot of things we can’t change about our jobs, but we can usually modify the way we live in our workspace. The typical office type desk job can bring with it many health hazards if not given some special attention and creative modification. As our friend Ben Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”; we need to be proactive.
Those of you who work hard to maintain a paleo diet might find it easier to dodge doughnuts at the morning meeting than the next guy, but what about all that sitting? The connection between too much muscular inactivity from sitting and disease risk is clear; whether you get your workout at the end of the day or not, the damage is already done if you sat at a desk most of the day. I get plenty of funny looks from individuals walking by my office as I stand at my computer, but I honestly could care less. That’s right, I stand at my computer. I made use of some unused stacking files and some old textbooks to elevate my computer, monitor, and mouse. Now I know this particular set up sounds a bit hokey but I did follow some sound guidelines to keep it ergonomic and it does the trick. There are many legit desks that do the lifting for you, but you can accomplish the same goal being resourceful around the office if need be.
I feel good when I stand at my desk, I have better energy throughout the day and it keeps me on my toes (no pun intended). Elbows bent at a 90 degree angle marks the right desk height (keyboard and mouse), stretch out your arms parallel with the floor and that marks where the middle of the computer monitor should be. Give your feet some room, place a small box or stool at your feet and use it to prop a foot on from time to time. You can get an anti-fatigue mat for the floor (especially for hard floors). Allow yourself to move around a little, engage your core slightly to help support your back (which should be strait). It can be that simple and yet so powerful in turning the tide on a sedentary work environment and the health hazards that follow. So who’s with me?
For more information on this topic, check out some of the research:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2004.tb00094.x/abstract
http://www.springerlink.com/content/q23437t42211381l/
Also, there are many references following this NY Times article from February 2010:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/stand-up-while-you-read-this/
I have been thinking about this for a while and faced with the challenge of short cubicle walls have always hindered me from taking the plunge. At some point I am just going to have to say screw it. Although following your suggestions that would put my computer monitor above my cube walls…hmmmmm.
I just try ot get up and move aorund every 45 min. Quick stretch, etc. it helps.
I have my computer monitor above my half cubicle walls. I Have been sitting recently due to a knee injury, but standing at work was a good change.
i transformed my shelf stack into a standing desk. It’s awesome. I find that I get a lot more accomplished with a standing desk. People thought it was pretty weird at first but in the end not really a big deal
Good resource on various standing desks –
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/tags/standing-desks/
I do not believe that standing is all that natural. Standing after a time ends up hurting my knees and lower back. I can walk for a long time without any sort of pain or discomfort. As a side note, I am in good shape. Male 6′ 195lbs, 12% bf.
However putting a treadmill under your desk will hinder your ability to work. I think it should be known that standing to work isn’t a universal solution.
Neither is the hawaii chair.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9_amg-Aos4
Wow.
can’t…take…eyes…off… infomercial…must….not..fap
Michael, the idea is to not stand in one place, but to keep shifting your weight ever so slightly.
a swissball for sitting at my desk works a treat as you can’t just passively sit.
Important to get the right size and maintain the right pressure though.
Haha my boss had to stop using his Swiss ball chair because our HR department said it was too risky (like he would fly off it or something). I’ve been jerryrigging a standup desk a lot lately and am constantly being asked by confused coworkers whether I have hemorrhoids… Funny.
Timely write up for me. I have transitioned to a standing desk about 80% of the time now as well. I did not go for a real fancy build, but was able to use an old drafting desk which has worked out perfect. It is strange, but I actually have more energy and feel like I am more productive working from a standing position. Love the feeling of doing something decent for myslef while working, makes me feel positive about the changes I am trying to make in my life, and yes I still get odd stares from people in the office who wonder what I am going to do next!
I also have an improvised standing desk, but I also have a tall chair so I can sit part of the day when my legs get tired. I feel more alert and productive, I find myself much less distracted, and I move more. If I was truly standing still the whole time, my back and legs would probably suffer, but I am actually pretty active. I do wish I had an anti-fatigue mat, then I could probably ditch the chair 100% of the time.
I’ve been taking pictures as part of a competition and my posture has improved almost 10 degrees since I switched to standing.
Find the stairwells in your building and USE THEM! I tried to get away from the lab bench once an hour to hit the stairs to de-stress and get my heart going when I was a lab rat.
For about a year I ran a watchfloor in Afghanistan, the practical results from the job (I was on my feet yelling and stressing all day) was that I didn’t have the lower back pain that commuting around DC or SoCal and sitting at a desk all day had caused prior to my deployment.
Since returning from Afghanistan I’ve made the transition to a stand up desk using an Ikea kitchen island frame and some parts form Home Depot. TOtal cost was ~$140, substantially less than what most standing desks go for.
As to standing all day, I find it preferable to sitting, and my body becomes a barometer (aka BS meter) to follow. I’m probably getting an itch to do something else at the same time I want to do a trip to the water cooler/coffee pot/bathroom/pull up bar/whatever. After the quick break, back to work.
It’s an ongoing experiment, which is working for me so far.
My iphone timer function in the clock app is a life saver. I set that thing for 45 minutes. When it goes off I reset it and go for a few minutes break. Walk around the office or the block when I’m working from home. My hips thank me.
Robb, what do you think about sitting “indian” style on the floor with a laptop for those with the flexibility in work space to do so?
I do that in a chair. Legit, I also do the 45 min switcher-oo and change sitting. Try to stretch etc.
I bought a $20 coffee table from IKEA that is the perfect height on top of my desk. If it is too tall you can just trim the legs. The standing desks I saw were all pricey and not big enough for my 3 monitor setup. Feel better, more alert and more energy.
Standing since February and highly advise it!
Since having an online biz I find I sit way more then ever – and my job is to convince people to be MORE active. What I did was lift my desk up so I stand most of the day. If I sit for any length of time I get up as often as possible and do some mobility exercises for my hip flexors. I also do a lot of foam rolling of my back and hanging off my pull up bar.
I find it great for the first 7 hours or so… but then i get tired and my feet hurt. If i work long, I sometimes transition to sitting. Still better than sitting all day.
What about people who only have a laptop? I’ve rigged something that keeps my elbows at 90 degrees, but that means that I have to look down more than your version, since the monitor is connected to the keyboard.
I used a recliner. then it was sitting directly on my junk…
Fortune 500 companies like their normalcy, so I’ve always received a few snarky comments when I stand at my desk (usually in some yoga stance since my desk is so low)… But hey, it’s my health, so you guys have fun with your pulmonary embolism, I’m going to continue to look weird (and awesome/healthy).
It may not be the very best thing for the environment, but I have taken to printing out things I need to edit and/or review and reading standing up. I have an elevated reading stand, but as of yet, no way to do the elevated computer screen. This also gives your eyes a rest. I’ve found recently that glowing screens have a big impact on my vision and ability to sleep soundly. Also, my gym, CrossFit MPH, gives us mobility homework to do every day which helps to combat the rest of the day’s sitting.
As to what Michael said about standing not being all that natural for humans, I think you may be right- squatting (deep, oly style) is probably more natural as a resting position. If I could get away with at the office a bit more often, I would.
I often did the same thing – but would walk up and down the halls reading and/or reviewing documents. I do some of my best thinking on the move. Some good blog posts have been created that way!
And while standing may not be all that natural, sitting at a desk for hours on end isn’t either. I have to admit I am intruiged by the ‘Hawaii Chair’ though…
I get the same “funny looks” when I stand at my desk. Now I just need to put together the same set-up you have to make it more workable. Thanks for the links too. Cheers~
Thanks for this post Elizabeth!
I started standing at my desk for the work I do on the computer and so far in just one day the difference is amazing. I would get really low energy in the afternoons where I would nearly nap at my desk, but today my energy level stayed the same and I didn’t get that crash. I figure that I will try this for 30 days and see how it affects my performance. So far so good!
My husband actually got his desk raised up at work so he stands the majority of the day at work! Pretty cool, I think he is starting a movement!! I am a stay at home mom and spend a lot of time up and down on my feet all day!!
I converted my desk to a standing desk a couple of weeks ago. So now I have a part that I can stand at and a part that I can sit at. I find that I stand about 80% of the day. It almost feels odd now to sit while working…
My company actually has a keyboard that can be elevated to standing level and a monitor that can also be brought up to eye level. You should all recommend your workplaces purchase these! 🙂 …. (i’m the only one that uses it!)
Has anyone had any luck with an exercise ball? Im in inside sales so i do a lot of dialing and don’t want to continually be bending over, I has to be better then a chair right even though your still sitting?
Yep, not a bad idea!