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A standing desk for $22

iamnotaprogrammer.com

71–80 of 184 posts

Re: A standing desk for $22

#71
post #58

Is standing long hours really healthier than sitting? (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_complications_of_stan... ) Personally, I feel both sitting and standing for long hours are uncomfortable and prefer walking. But a walking desk is hard to find for $22. I was able to build one for $80 using a used treadmill from Craigslist, free pallet boards made into a keyboard stand, and an old bookshelf to support th…

What about a horse-mounted desk?

Sounds pretty uncomfortable to me.

Re: A standing desk for $22

#72
post #23

Does anyone actually use a standing desk daily? I get antsy and uncomfortable standing after just a few minutes. How people manage to get real work done with a setup like this is a complete mystery to me.

I've been using a diy standing desk for almost a year, and was in a cube that I repositioned to standing height for nearly 12 months before that. I don't think I'll ever go back.

I've posted this here before, but in case newcomers are interested in details for an inexpensive diy stand up desk: http://imperialwicket.com/diy-adjustable-stand-up-desk-for-u...

Re: A standing desk for $22

#73

I spent $1,100 on a GeekDesk max (including shipping). An investment in my health was long overdue, especially since I've spent $4-5,000 on my computer setup. The huge benefit is not having to move all your stuff whenever you're done sitting or standing. I press a button and in 10 seconds it's changed height. MAGIC! I highly suggest them to anyone, just watch out for the long backorder. Mine took 3 months to get here…

I just got my GeekDesk after a long and varied string of various sit/stand combinations. I opted for the small, frame only, and bought my own "butchers block" solid mape top - 48" x 25" x 1.5".

This coupled with an ergotron LX monitor mount and a humanscale keyboard tray is beyond fantastic. I can adjust everything, and I love it.

Re: A standing desk for $22

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

6'0" and 130 lbs is quite underweight. You have very little muscle and I am not surprised by the back pain. You need to gain about 25 pounds of muscle and then consider a standing desk. You need to hit the weights and fridge really hard for about 6-18 months.

There are mountains of evidence that BMI correlates positively with the incidence of lower back pain. I have no history of LBP outside of the context of using a standing desk. Further, most of the purported benefit standing desks is to prolong lifespan, and there's even stronger evidence that low-BMI people live longer, so the suggestion that I should gain weight and sacrifice a clinically validated approach to livin…

BMI is a misleading indicator in this case. It doesn't differentiate by body composition at all (e.g. fat vs muscle).

I doubt very much that adding muscle to an underweight person would decrease that person's life expectancy. Probably it would improve it (the health benefits of exercise are well known). Either way, it would improve his quality of life.

Re: A standing desk for $22

#75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're obviously not overweight but you're pretty light for that height, so I wonder if someone with a lower center of gravity would suffer fewer back issues? What if you used a laptop that you could move from standing desk to couch from time to time? Like after every 40 minutes?

I tried sitting down periodically. It just reinforced how much more comfortable it was to sit than to stand. I find it completely implausible that being thin would making extended standing harder. Flies in the face of everything I've ever read about back problems, which overwhelmingly afflict people with higher BMI. Also, I'm quite young, and have no history of back or muscle pains of any sort outside of what was bro…

Why is it implausible? Standing still requires muscle. There is some minimum standard of fitness required to stand for a fairly long time.

Being thin or having a normal BMI doesn't mean you're fit. It's just a useful statistical measure to find out the general fitness of a population. Youth won't help you either.

Re: A standing desk for $22

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

6'0" and 130 lbs is quite underweight. You have very little muscle and I am not surprised by the back pain. You need to gain about 25 pounds of muscle and then consider a standing desk. You need to hit the weights and fridge really hard for about 6-18 months.

There are mountains of evidence that BMI correlates positively with the incidence of lower back pain. I have no history of LBP outside of the context of using a standing desk. Further, most of the purported benefit standing desks is to prolong lifespan, and there's even stronger evidence that low-BMI people live longer, so the suggestion that I should gain weight and sacrifice a clinically validated approach to livin…

I have read this article just yesterday: http://healthcorrelator.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/lowest-morta...

This is basically a reference point to support the opinion that was stated here: BMI is not the only thing that matters.

Take a look at the two numbers circled in red. The one on the left is the lowest-mortality BMI not adjusting for fat mass or fat-free mass: a reasonably high 27.4. The one on the right is the lowest-mortality BMI adjusting for fat mass and fat-free mass: a much lower 21.6.

I know this may sound confusing, but due to possible statistical distortions this does not mean that you should try to bring your BMI to 21.6 if you want to reduce your risk of dying. What this means is that fat mass and fat-free mass matter.

Re: A standing desk for $22

#77

I spent $1,100 on a GeekDesk max (including shipping). An investment in my health was long overdue, especially since I've spent $4-5,000 on my computer setup. The huge benefit is not having to move all your stuff whenever you're done sitting or standing. I press a button and in 10 seconds it's changed height. MAGIC! I highly suggest them to anyone, just watch out for the long backorder. Mine took 3 months to get here…

I've been thinking about buying one. Are there any major downsides / regrets / things you didn't realize but wish you had?

My only major concern is whether my Humanscale keyboard tray can fit underneath—it's about 21.5" long and 5.5" wide.

Re: A standing desk for $22

#78
post #24

I used a similar setup for quite a while, but the big drawback is that you can't conveniently switch between standing and sitting. Now I have a crank-operated height-adjustable desk that I really like, and it only cost $588. I bought this base http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NJUQVG and attached an Ikea pine tabletop ($60).

given the relative cost of a keyboard and an extra pair of monitors over the electric adjusting desk - does anyone just have a doubleheaded dual height system ?

Re: A standing desk for $22

#79
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never understood why everyone wants desks that raise an lower, instead of just using the drafting chairs thereby avoiding any raise/lower mechanism.

High chairs make a lot of people's legs go to sleep.

Only if there isn't a footrest at the proper height.

Re: A standing desk for $22

#80
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are mountains of evidence that BMI correlates positively with the incidence of lower back pain. I have no history of LBP outside of the context of using a standing desk. Further, most of the purported benefit standing desks is to prolong lifespan, and there's even stronger evidence that low-BMI people live longer, so the suggestion that I should gain weight and sacrifice a clinically validated approach to livin…

I have read this article just yesterday: http://healthcorrelator.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/lowest-morta... This is basically a reference point to support the opinion that was stated here: BMI is not the only thing that matters. Take a look at the two numbers circled in red. The one on the left is the lowest-mortality BMI not adjusting for fat mass or fat-free mass: a reasonably high 27.4. The one on the right is the lo…

To put this in perspective, 6'0 and 130 is a BMI of 17.6 which is off the charts. He is well below the ideal lean BMI of 21.6.
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