#36: Standing Desk

Growing up I promised myself I would never have a desk job.  Sitting still is just not my thing. I am happiest, most engaged and most productive when I’m active. However, although I have a career I love, for the past five years I’ve been sitting in front of a computer 80% of the time. That’s made me a little crazy and, I believe, has been the primary source of some chronic back pain.

So I’ve closely followed research on the benefits of stand-up desks and finally decided to join the movement. As an article on Smithsonian.com stated, spending more of your day standing could reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Yep, sitting all day can be detrimental to your health and apparently studies have found that regular gym time does not cancel the negative effects.

My New Work Space

Given I love the work I do and it’s not likely to transition to be significantly more active, I thought moving to a stand-up desk was the least I could do for my health and sanity. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I already love it. And while I opted for the Varidesk Pro Plus model that gives you the option to sit or stand, I’ve found myself keeping it in standing position 90% of the time.

Experience #36 has already proven to help my back pain…and a nice bonus: according to a BBC news report, standers burn an average of 50 calories more per hour!