# Do you use a standing desk? Love/hate/meh?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-standing-desk-love-hate-meh/713412>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 23, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-standing-desk-love-hate-meh/713412 "2015-02-23T14:34:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-standing-desk-love-hate-meh/713412/61 "2016-05-06T00:39:44Z")

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I lost the job with the fancy standing desk. Now I have a cardboard box sitting on my desk that I put my laptop on. Works just as well for me. I still love standing. I also find that when I stand at a desk, I naturally move around a lot more.

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**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-standing-desk-love-hate-meh/713412/62 "2016-05-06T21:18:59Z")

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> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#):
>
> as well as periodic mobility, e.g. walking around or performing moderately vigorous exercises (like squats, lunges, windmills, et cetera) every 20-30 minutes.

I used to use the StretchClock plugin for Firefox on my previous computer. I need to go back to that.

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**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2016, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-standing-desk-love-hate-meh/713412/63 "2016-05-07T05:20:50Z")

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I’ve been using an Ikea one for a few months though - i got a high stool to rest on sometimes as I read standing for more than 2 hours wasn’t recommended. I think it’s been great - really fixed my mouse arm/shoulder posture issues, which has meant fewer sore necks.

I did go through a spell of having really sore heels, until I worked out I was rocking back on them slightly. When I focus how I stand this isn’t an issue. Surprised how much I like it.

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**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-standing-desk-love-hate-meh/713412/64 "2016-05-08T02:03:51Z")

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One of the big problems with standing or sitting motionless is that you aren’t using your second heart: the calf muscle. Your legs are a long way away from your heart, and in order to fight gravity we developed a second pump to help blood get back to the heart, the calf muscle. When walking normally, it contracts repeatedly and pumps blood up out of the legs back to the heart. People who stand for long hours on the job or who wear high heels (prevents the calf muscle from working) find their blood pools in their legs, leading to varicose veins and blood clots.  
The basic problem is the human body is designed by evolution to move constantly while awake and now we can’t.

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