8 ms·

Ikea Standing Desk

20 points by bradmenezes 12y ago

jackhammer 12y ago
Does anyone here use a standing desk? He have one at our office, but after 30 minutes I get too lazy and want to sit down.
- jonathantm 12y ago
  Beside my desk I have two cardboard boxes and a loose 1/2 width desk table table-top. Maybe 4 times a week I move everything on the edge of my desk and set up the two boxes and the loose desktop to make a standing desk that just happens to be the perfect height. I've only got a laptop, a single monitor, lamp, wired keyboard, and wireless mouse, so moving all that from the low desk to top desk - and back - only takes about one or two minutes. When I do stand, I'll stay like that for usually about three to four hours. I set up a permanent standing desk at home for about a month (cinder blocks under my desk table legs) and I really liked how easy it was to just walk up to desk and dive into work... or to step back from my desk if I got distracted or just needed to take a couple minutes because I was stuck on something. Not having to "get settled" at my desk, and not having to pull my up out of my chair made a surprisingly big difference to the experience of working. While the physical benefits of not siting so much are very good, I was most surprised by that feeling described in the paragraph above. The way it changed my relationship to my desk and what happens there was the most remarkable thing about using a standing desk. I very much look forward to getting an electric adjustable standing desk at work.
- epoxyhockey 12y ago
  Yes, that is the point of a motorized sit stand desk. You stand when you feel like it and adjust it down when you want to sit, and so on.
- grayfox 12y ago
  My desk at work gives me the option to stand or sit. Most of the time, it winds up being 60/40 stand/sit. Feels pretty nice!
- ydagenais 12y ago
  The key I think is have a desk that can change (not fixed). I have the GeekDesk (http://www.geekdesk.com http://www.geekdesk.com) and wouldn't go back to a normal fixed desk. Yes, I don't stand for long periods of time either. But I really enjoy the fact that I can change my desk height throughout the day. For example, I have a large whiteboard right beside my desk at standing height. So I flip the desk to standing position when I want to brainstorm and have access to my computer.
- muraiki 12y ago
  When I started using a standing desk it definitely involved an adjustment period. When starting out, something that helped me was to stand for thirty minutes then sit for one hour, alternating. Also, I've found that it's best to start the day standing or else I end up sitting most of the day. :) My back and neck (and even my hands) feel a lot better when I alternate between standing and sitting, as opposed to sitting all day. From what I understand, standing all day is also bad, but moving up to one hour of standing per sitting has worked pretty good for me.
dale386 12y ago
That's a lot of money for IKEA.
- bichiliad 12y ago
  On the other hand, that's not a lot of money for a standing desk.
bichiliad 12y ago
I was a bit surprised to see the laptop actually work.
quaffapint 12y ago
I guess I don't get the need of the standing desk. Can't you just take regular mini breaks and go walk around a bit? It doesn't even need to be outside or for a long length of time. It would be healthier and cheaper than a standing desk.
- jameskilton 12y ago
  The research is pretty clear. Any amount of time sent standing is better than that amount of time sitting. Your muscles stay in use, your heart works more efficiently, and you burn more calories, than sitting. So no, sitting + walking breaks is not healthier than always standing. Cost shouldn't be a factor if you really care about treating your body better. It's super easy to ad-hoc your own standing desk for free, or spend some money to get something built for standing. Remember, if you're doing it for 8+hours a day, that's 1/4 of your life. It's worth the money you spend.
  - quaffapint 12y ago
    Interesting. I sit, but I get up a lot and run around with the dog, etc. I wonder if standing really would make a difference in my case. I could imagine if you were working in an office all day, it might be a problem. Though I wonder if standing too much has its own troubles too. Maybe thats why the desks that easily go up/down would be nicer - that way never too much of one thing - standing or sitting.
    - MrDom 12y ago
      This study[0] shows that it takes about 4 hours of complete inactivity to see a large decrease in LPL (lipoprotein lipase) in the legs. It then takes about 4 hours of low intensity activity to replenish previous levels. Of course, then the question becomes how much low intensity activity do you need during the day to offset sitting. If you avoid sitting for 4 hours straight, do you avoid most of the bad parts? Is standing alone enough low intensity activity to keep your LPL going or do you need a treadmill desk? Could you go 3 hours sitting, 1 hour walking, repeatedly and still have good LPL levels? The research is only clear on one thing: don't sit for 4 hours straight. It'll take 4 hours of walking around for your LPL levels to recover. [0]: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12815182 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12815182
eip 12y ago
The trick to using a standing desk for long periods is having a padded wood platform to stand on. Standing on concrete or carpet on top of concrete will kill your legs in less than an hour. I have a slightly raised plywood platform with padding on top. I can stand on it all day with no problem.
- knope 12y ago
  nice tip.. these standing desks still havent hit me as being anything other than a trendy absurdity.

20 points by bradmenezes 12y ago

Does anyone here use a standing desk? He have one at our office, but after 30 minutes I get too lazy and want to sit down.

jonathantm 12y ago
Beside my desk I have two cardboard boxes and a loose 1/2 width desk table table-top. Maybe 4 times a week I move everything on the edge of my desk and set up the two boxes and the loose desktop to make a standing desk that just happens to be the perfect height. I've only got a laptop, a single monitor, lamp, wired keyboard, and wireless mouse, so moving all that from the low desk to top desk - and back - only takes about one or two minutes. When I do stand, I'll stay like that for usually about three to four hours. I set up a permanent standing desk at home for about a month (cinder blocks under my desk table legs) and I really liked how easy it was to just walk up to desk and dive into work... or to step back from my desk if I got distracted or just needed to take a couple minutes because I was stuck on something. Not having to "get settled" at my desk, and not having to pull my up out of my chair made a surprisingly big difference to the experience of working. While the physical benefits of not siting so much are very good, I was most surprised by that feeling described in the paragraph above. The way it changed my relationship to my desk and what happens there was the most remarkable thing about using a standing desk. I very much look forward to getting an electric adjustable standing desk at work.
epoxyhockey 12y ago
Yes, that is the point of a motorized sit stand desk. You stand when you feel like it and adjust it down when you want to sit, and so on.
grayfox 12y ago
My desk at work gives me the option to stand or sit. Most of the time, it winds up being 60/40 stand/sit. Feels pretty nice!
ydagenais 12y ago
The key I think is have a desk that can change (not fixed). I have the GeekDesk (http://www.geekdesk.com http://www.geekdesk.com) and wouldn't go back to a normal fixed desk. Yes, I don't stand for long periods of time either. But I really enjoy the fact that I can change my desk height throughout the day. For example, I have a large whiteboard right beside my desk at standing height. So I flip the desk to standing position when I want to brainstorm and have access to my computer.
muraiki 12y ago
When I started using a standing desk it definitely involved an adjustment period. When starting out, something that helped me was to stand for thirty minutes then sit for one hour, alternating. Also, I've found that it's best to start the day standing or else I end up sitting most of the day. :) My back and neck (and even my hands) feel a lot better when I alternate between standing and sitting, as opposed to sitting all day. From what I understand, standing all day is also bad, but moving up to one hour of standing per sitting has worked pretty good for me.

dale386 12y ago

That's a lot of money for IKEA.

bichiliad 12y ago
On the other hand, that's not a lot of money for a standing desk.

bichiliad 12y ago

I was a bit surprised to see the laptop actually work.

quaffapint 12y ago

I guess I don't get the need of the standing desk. Can't you just take regular mini breaks and go walk around a bit? It doesn't even need to be outside or for a long length of time. It would be healthier and cheaper than a standing desk.

jameskilton 12y ago
The research is pretty clear. Any amount of time sent standing is better than that amount of time sitting. Your muscles stay in use, your heart works more efficiently, and you burn more calories, than sitting. So no, sitting + walking breaks is not healthier than always standing. Cost shouldn't be a factor if you really care about treating your body better. It's super easy to ad-hoc your own standing desk for free, or spend some money to get something built for standing. Remember, if you're doing it for 8+hours a day, that's 1/4 of your life. It's worth the money you spend.
- quaffapint 12y ago
  Interesting. I sit, but I get up a lot and run around with the dog, etc. I wonder if standing really would make a difference in my case. I could imagine if you were working in an office all day, it might be a problem. Though I wonder if standing too much has its own troubles too. Maybe thats why the desks that easily go up/down would be nicer - that way never too much of one thing - standing or sitting.
  - MrDom 12y ago
    This study[0] shows that it takes about 4 hours of complete inactivity to see a large decrease in LPL (lipoprotein lipase) in the legs. It then takes about 4 hours of low intensity activity to replenish previous levels. Of course, then the question becomes how much low intensity activity do you need during the day to offset sitting. If you avoid sitting for 4 hours straight, do you avoid most of the bad parts? Is standing alone enough low intensity activity to keep your LPL going or do you need a treadmill desk? Could you go 3 hours sitting, 1 hour walking, repeatedly and still have good LPL levels? The research is only clear on one thing: don't sit for 4 hours straight. It'll take 4 hours of walking around for your LPL levels to recover. [0]: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12815182 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12815182

eip 12y ago

The trick to using a standing desk for long periods is having a padded wood platform to stand on. Standing on concrete or carpet on top of concrete will kill your legs in less than an hour. I have a slightly raised plywood platform with padding on top. I can stand on it all day with no problem.

knope 12y ago
nice tip.. these standing desks still havent hit me as being anything other than a trendy absurdity.