1. Christian Jaeschke says:

    Standing in one place for great lengths of time, isn’t much better than sitting. It places on undue stress on your legs. Really, any combination of sitting or standing, while reading would be fine, provided you get regular exercise and take a walk outside every now and then.

    • I’d encourage you to read some of the studies that have been done on the value of standing versus sitting. Certainly you need to do both. Perhaps a tall stool will be in my future soon. But the key is that it’s not very hard to find reasons to sit. Standing takes intentional thought. 

      Also, choosing to take a walk every hour is not likely to happen for me here in Washington state as it is often raining. It would also disrupt my work flow.

      It’s very interesting that our modern society has come to believe that somehow 30 minutes of walking or exercise can somehow undo a full day of sedentary lifestyle. 
      The studies have found that those in occupations that require them to stand upright a majority of the day live longer. 

      Certainly it’s not the only answer to health, but it’s a great start in the right direction.

      • Christian Jaeschke says:

        Sorry, Christopher, I wasn’t trying to imply that a small amount of exercise would undo a full day of sitting/standing.
        But you’re right, your method would be a step in the right direction.

  2. Keanan Brand says:

    For years, I’ve alternated standing and sitting while working at the computer. I often compose in longhand, and stand to do that, too. It keeps me alert, and gives my back and legs a rest from too much sitting. (How ironic is that?) A good walk helps keep the brain creative; standing helps me focus.
    I don’t have a nifty desk–yet!–but have used the kitchen bar, the top of a small bookshelf, and a variety of items stacked up high enough to accommodate a keyboard or a laptop. The best standing spot has been the kitchen bar: sturdy, plenty of space for mouse and documents, and easy access to coffee and snacks. 🙂

    • Great choices. Sounds like you are a bit ahead of me in your standing journey. I’ve definitely noticed a few of the benefits you’ve mentioned already. I’m anxious to see how this works out for me. 

  3. Not a bad idea, but I think moderation is key with just about anything – to have a healthy, well-balanced life. Having said that, I often like to eat standing. ; )

    • I agree that moderation is key. That’s why I’m choosing to stand at work. I don’t find it  difficult to find reasons to sit…but to stand requires intentional action. By making standing my default position, I’m likely to have a good mix of the two. After all, a body at rest will remain at rest. 🙂

  4. Esther says:

    There are also “walking” desks. I cobbled up a version of that in my home for a while: it was a treadmill with computer keyboard mounted at a proper height for me to use while walking and typing.
    It can be done. I find I cannot do it if what I have to do requires a medium to high level of concentration (writing story material would definitely tax my concentration!), but for just surfing the web, researching, reading email, or even watching video, it is quite easy to set the treadmill to a very slow speed and walk while engaging these activities.
    So…if you need to do something besides just stand, consider adding a treadmill, or perhaps a stepper.

    • Walking during working has also intrigued me, but I’ve yet to figure that one out. It requires more space and seems less practical for having others gather around your computer with you to discuss things (which happens a lot for me and my brother). 

      I do find myself pacing around while talking on the phone though. For some reason, I’ve never been able to stop walking whilst talking on the phone.

  5. Oooh, new comment form!
     
    Too much standing will give you varicose veins eventually, so there does need to be a balance. I also know that when I’m pregnant, being on my feet too much will eventually exhaust me to the point of collapse, but I doubt these standing desks were invented with pregnant women in mind. 🙂
     
    I recently read an interesting blog about how walking balances both sides of the brain–something about the right-left-right movements.
    http://untanglingtales.com/2012/12/weight-therapy-10-activity/
     
    I’ve tried to do that more recently. I do feel better when I’ve moved around as much as I’ve sat. I do too much sitting.

  6. Great comments, everyone.  Your points are all well taken. 

    However, I find it’s not too hard to find reasons to “sit” throughout the day. I just figure my productive work time shouldn’t be some of those times I sit. I sit in the car. I sit for dinner. I sit for family time. I sit to read my kids a book. I sit to use the restroom…half of the time. 🙂 

    I’m pretty sure my sit > stand ratio is going to be fine if I force myself to stand more often. If I default to a sitting pose for most of my work, I’m more likely to just keep sitting.

    My two cents.

  7. Weston says:

    Thanks Chris! Great inspirtation to follow through on an idea I have tossed around for several years.  I too was put off by the prices of stand up desks and have seen a few online contraptions like you’re using, but for $22 or less how could I go wrong.  I tried for a short time, only several hours, stacking stuff up on my desk so I could use the computer, found my plan to unstable to really hold my desktop computer.
    Starting the year with significant back pain and a re-injury I am motivated to get out of my seat and stand!
    Thanks for the inspiration!

    • Be sure to follow the height measurements detailed in the article I linked to. I also chose to purchase a second $7 sidetable to put side by side with the other. It gave me a wider desktop and room for my laptop to be open as well. Brought cost of ownership up to $29. Still not too bad.
      Sorry to hear about your back, though. Hope it works. You can always stop by and see our setup if you want.

  8. Kerry Nietz says:

    Dude, I work out enough (both anaerobic and aerobic) that all I’m able to do when I’m writing is sit. In fact, I’m fortunate that I’m not napping while I’m writing… 🙂

  9. I set up a treadmill desk over two years ago and used it while writing my last couple of novels. I’m not in the league of say, Arthur Slade (who treadmill-writes for an average of four hours a day) but I try to get in at least 30-45 minutes of treadmilling and another hour or so of standing-to-write during the day. Today I did 35 minutes of the “Rolling Hills” program on my treadmill at 1.6 km/h while writing, and another 10 minutes on the flat.
    I agree with those who’ve said it improves concentration. I can’t say it improves my energy because I do get tired and have to sit down after 35-45 minutes, even if I’m on a roll… but then I suppose that just betrays how generally out of shape I am.

What do you think?