Wife works from home on a regular basis. Most of that time is spent sitting at a computer, and she has developed what appears to be sciatica (I’m trying to get her to go see a doctor about it).
We’re thinking about getting her a standing desk. On the one hand, sitting on your ass for 8 hours a day is clearly bad for you; OTOH, standing for 8 hours a day seems really uncomfortable, possibly not better for you. These guys have an interesting arrangement that’s kind of hybrid: you lean on a saddle of sorts, but a good bit of weight is on your feet.
So…anyone here use a standing desk? What are your impressions? Good? Bad? Stupid idea afterall? Life-changing? Quality hardware ain’t cheap, so I’m trying to get more information before we make a decision on what/whether to buy.
We have desks at work that can be used as either a sitting or standing desk and I do see the users alternating. Perhaps that would be a good solution for your wife - so she can sit for 60 minutes then stand for 30, etc.
I’ve thought about posting this very question. I’m considering an adjustable one for home. From what I’ve read the recommendation is to alternate standing and sitting throughout the day.
Several people where I work switched to standing desks, including me. We all also got tall chairs, so we could choose to sit or stand. At first I tried standing 80-90% of the time, but my feet would start to hurt and it would get difficult to concentrate on my job. These days I probably sit 90% of the time, but it’s a nice change of pace to be able to stand every once in a while.
I got my wife a “varidesk” which can be adjusted up and down. She is very happy with it and usually uses it while standing. When I need to use her computer (It’s the one with Quickbooks) I’ll use it standing unless I’m working for more than 1/2 hour in which case I’ll lower it for awhile. It does change positions very easily.
RSI injuries are something the company takes very seriously so they spare no expense when it come to the work area. The desk surface has settings that let me move the monitors and keyboard/mouse areas independently. The monitors are quite large ( 30" ) and I have a pair so it helps that they can move around easily . If I am standing for a longer period of time I have a soft pad to stand on. I alternate throughout the day between sitting and standing.
I do not have any idea what the cost of these are but I assume it is substantial so perhaps your wife can get her company to assist in the purchase of a good desk.
I got a Varidesk about a year ago and am pretty happy with it. I stand for about 4 hours, sit for a couple then stand for the last 2 or so hours in the day. Don’t try standing for 8 hours straight. Or do, if you want. Up to you.
I don’t use one, but several of my coworkers do. They all have tall chairs so that they can alternate standing and sitting. It seems to work well, because I see more people switching their desks to that configuration every month, and I know the company wouldn’t pony up the money for the conversion if it wasn’t worth it.
I have an adjustable desk at work so I can stand if I want to. And I do. When I started standing I didn’t do so for the whole day. I’d stand for the morning, then sit after lunch and for most of the rest of the day. But then I slowly started standing more and more and now, unless for some reason I need to be sitting, I stand the entire 8-hour day.
I haven’t tried a proper standing desk, but I know from experience (like working at airport counters) that I’m not going to be comfortable standing for more than about an hour at a time. I do try to change up my positions while I’m working, though, so I think a variable desk might be a good idea.
Ikea has a hydraulic desk base that can raise and lower to be both standing and sitting. It’s sold separate from the desk top so that you can either convert an existing desk or buy something that fits your space. I think I’d like to go that direction eventually, at least for the home office.
I know that I’d need something that would raise and lower the entire table. Almost all of my computer work is done with lots of papers and reference books spread out on the table. The solutions that only adjust the height of the keyboard and monitor would just not be sufficient.
A friend who has a very bad back uses an old “accounts/drafting” desk. Same basic idea. It allows him to work without pain and be in shape to drive home; something a normal desk rarely does/did.
I now have standing desks at work and at home. Both have electric motors but I’ve concluded they’re a waste - aside from demonstrating them to curious people I never need to change the desk height. A manual winder would be fine.
I have tall chairs so the desk is at the right height for sitting or standing. I started standing in 1 hours stints, but a year later I can stand pretty much all day. I sit less than an hour most days.
I use one in the office and really like it. Some days I stand for hours, and then when I’m ready to sit, just push a button and in about 5 seconds I can be seated.
This is surprising. I had the idea that a motorized sit/stand desk would be best, since you wouldn’t hesitate to transition between sitting and standing; I imagined that if you had to crank that thing up/down each time, you’d tend to procrastinate each transition more, which would be a bad thing.
I suppose we could get away without changing the height of the desk and just replace her existing chair with a tall one (with a footrest).
Has she tried sitting on a yoga ball instead of a chair? I found that to be the best solution for me, and my lower back issues dropped dramatically after I started using it.
When I win the lottery though, I’m getting one of those treadmill desks. For when I’m, you know, counting my money.
