Is a Standing Desk Right for You?
Realizing that I’m not getting any younger and hearing the remembered words of my chiropractor that my biggest problem affecting long-standing neck and back issues is that I sit too much at my job, I decided to seriously pursue using a standing desk in 2015.
This video might help motivate you to consider doing the same. I literally spend more than fifty hours a week in front of a computer. I could feel myself getting older by the hour with chronic back pain, neck pain, and stiffness. It was time for a change.
If you’ve done any online research about ergonomics, you’ll discover that standing desks are a hot topic. And once you start researching them, you’ll find quite a variety of styles and prices. Some range from cheap make-your-own varieties. Others can cost literally thousands of dollars. The options can be overwhelming. And yes, nobody wants to stand all day—that’s not healthy either. The point is to get the body moving and offer an alternative, as you’ll see if you read on.
Since I already have a desk system, I narrowed down my research to simple ways to raise my desktop somehow. (I use a laptop with a two-monitor system.) Researching that goal reveals a good number of options too. God bless my wife, Kim, who saw an item at our local Shopko she thought might fit the bill. Sure enough, she was right!
The “Neu Home Horizontal Shelf” (left) is a very economical solution that costs about $13 on sale. Seriously. In fact, as of today, it’s still on sale for the same price (and no, Shopko isn’t paying me a dime to tell you this).
The photo to the right shows this very inexpensive shelf on top of my existing desk, which raises my desktop by just over thirteen inches. I was astonished by this inexpensive solution, and I’ve been using it every workday since January 12. When I feel fatigued, I simply straddle a basic stool (you shouldn’t stand all the time). My next purchase will be an anti-fatigue mat because my feet ache at the end of the day.
So what have been the benefits of using a standing desk? Well, my chronic backaches are gone. Poof! And because my back feels better, my neck feels better, too, though I still have issues with it. But these problems took a while to develop and may need time to get better. One can’t expect an overnight cure for every ailment by making one simple change.
I feel better on my feet because I know I’m being kinder to my body. I believe I also burn more calories because sometimes I bounce back and forth on my toes (you can’t do that in a chair), and movement throughout the day can only be a good thing. I’m determined to keep this up for the long haul. I’ll occasionally check in and let you know how I feel about the system (loving it? hating it?).
What about you? Have you ever considered using a standing desk? If you want to try one, you’ll be hard pressed to find a cheaper solution. If you work a job that makes you feel like you’re chained to a computer and a chair, maybe you should give it a try.
Have questions? Shoot those my way too.
