Ask Slashdot: Have You Tried a Standing Desk?

An anonymous reader writes: Evidence is piling up that sitting down all day is really bad for you. I work primarily from home, and as I grow older, I'm starting to worry about long term consequences to riding a desk full-time. We talked about this a few years ago, but the science has come a long way since then, and so have the options for standing desks. My questions: do you use a standing desk? What kind of setup do you have? There are a lot of options, and a lot of manufacturers. Further studies have questioned the wisdom of standing all day, so I've been thinking about a standing/sitting combo, and just switching every so often. If you do this, do you have time limits or a particular frequency with which you change from sitting to standing?

I'm also curious about under-desk treadmills — I could manage slowly walking during parts of my work, and the health benefits are easy to measure. Also, any ergonomic tips? A lot of places seem to recommend: forearms parallel to the ground, top of monitor at eye level, and a pad for under your feet. Has your experience been the same? Those of you who have gone all-out on a motorized setup, was it worth the cost? The desks are dropping in price, but I can still see myself dropping upward of $1k on this, easily.

Comments

Gone the other way

[Jamu]

I've gone the other way. The couch desk. Actually it's more like just a couch.

Re:Gone the other way

[Anonymous Coward]

We had a guy here with serious back problems. He had a doctor that recommended that he be allowed to have a couch in his office. I eventually found it prudent to knock loudly and wait a bit for him to wake up before entering his office to talk to him.

I just lowered my standing desk

[gurps_npc]

First, the reason the standing desk works is that it forces you to use your muscles.

This is called "PHYSICAL LABOR".

It may be a foreign concept to you. If so, keep in mind that some symptoms of physical labor are muscle fatigue and pain after extended time.

Most people use the standing desk on/off. Some of them mostly use it off.

Also note that given that you are on slashdot during business hours. You might not feel comfortable using a standing desk - and the extra attention it brings - while looking at slashdot or other non-work related web sites.

A standing desk, if you use it consistently, will work in that it will keep you in better physical condition. But only if you are the kind of guy that will put up with PHYSICAL LABOR.

Most people that suddenly decide to try physical labor hate it and quickly quit. It's similar to a gym membership.

Re:If you're adding a treadmill, you'd better be $

[hjf]

My solution to the whole "not sitting around" bit has been to avoid long stints in heads-down dev roles. Instead, I walk around a lot talking to people, go for walks/runs/bikes, park a good half-mile or more away from the office, etc.

So... you became a manager?

This Thread Has 152 Comments As I Type!

[Anonymous Coward]

Why should 152 comments be allowed? The comments should have been closed after two.

Ask Slashdot: Have You Tried a Standing Desk?

Comment 1: Yes.

Comment 2: No.

Done.