You’ve been hearing all about it I’m
sure. The Pros and the Cons of sitting vs. standing while you work, and there
are a lot of them.
Generally one side says you have more energy, your brain
functions better and you feel better if you stand while working. The other side
says, but the heart has to pump harder, you’re asking for more varicose veins
and other downers. But, in general the
more I read, the more it seemed to me that a combination of sitting and standing
would be the best solution.
When my
husband got a ‘motorized’ adjustable desk at work and began standing for
periods during the day I asked him how he liked it and he declared he was
loving the ability to change positions; to stand for a while, then sit, then stand.
So I decided to check on what was out
there.
Lots, apparently.
Some insanely expensive, others not so much. I settled
on the Varidesk to be placed on the desktop and it
works just great for me. Just unpacked it, put it on top of my desk (it's very heavy by the way so it's not going to slide around or be unstable) and away I
went. Very easy to lift the work top up to enable standing
for a while and then to lower when I’m going to sit. Just squeeze the handles
on the side and adjust.
Had to adjust my work style and how I keep my papers arranged on my desk, but it was definitely worth it for me. Call it a fad if you want, but I’m spending a good
amount of time now standing as well as sitting. Just plain moving. And, it makes me feel much
better physically to vary things. I certainly wouldn’t recommend standing all
day as I can image how hard that might be, in fact I know how hard that is as I've done it. But, as a writer I spend a heckuva
lot of time at a desk, always have. This is definitely an improvement
There are other
alternatives out there as well, both less expensive and more expensive. Fit Desk is one of them and
seems pretty popular. It’s also very economical at about $99.00. There’s also
the full size stand up work station which is a free standing work station instead of a
desktop add on. I see the star rating,
but that’s about all I know about that particular one. No doubt you can locate a lot more online and locally.
They all have different ways of
adjusting and as I said, I’m happy with the choice I made.
If you’re thinking about taking the
jump, you might want to read The Dangers of Sitting At Work - And Standing
or Proof Standing Desks Make You More Productive (article posted Sept. 26, 2013) and maybe do a google search on your own to
do some more investigating.
If it seems right for you, go for it,
but be sure to do your research. Fad? Maybe, but did you know Thomas Jefferson and Winston Churchill used standing desks? I really wouldn’t want to go back
to sitting the whole day now that I've tried this. Sitting with legs crossed Indian style on my task chair as I've done in the past isn't easy! I like being able to stand occasionally much better. So, fad or not, I'm in.
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