At home, I've been standing or walking on a treadmill for about a year. I find walking actually easier on the feet. My current 'desk' is a prototype of 2×4s and plywood, which I plan to replace with something nicer (with a matched 'skin' for the treadmill) soon, now that I've settled on positions for monitor and keyboard. The treadmill (purchased used) has the upper section removed so as not to interfere with the desk and keyboard, and the controls set off to one side.
My standing desk experiment
21–30 of 39 posts
Re: My standing desk experiment
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
Did you consider a height adjustable desk? I work alone, so it's not too embarrassing having an electronic desk. I have noticed that my legs ache less. I stand for about 1/3 of the day usually.
Or just get a tall desk chair. They make desk chairs that are tall like bar stools for standing desks. ( http://goo.gl/5zMCq ) Then you can stand when you want or sit when you want. Pulling the chair up seems easier than raising/lowering a desk
it takes about 3 seconds to lower or raise my (electric) height adjustable desk. I got it for £200 off ebay. You can just about see the mechanism on this post about my workspace http://qiip.me/edlea/blogger/post/4019
Re: My standing desk experiment
#23About a year ago, some university released a study showing that standing for long periods of time is just as detrimental as sitting and no advantage is gained from doing this. Also, someone on a blog who worked at a company that had a number of adjustable standing desks noted that no one used them after some period of time; that they preferred to sit.
What I would prefer to have is something adjustable where I can sit when I want to sit and stand when I want to stand.
Re: My standing desk experiment
#24I think the best set up is the standing desk + elliptical/treadmill set up. That combines all the best research of a standing desk and the benefits of very low movement to increase brain activity.
Re: My standing desk experiment
#25It'll be better if you actually systematically collect quantitative data over a month and upload it to a github repository. You also do it regardless of what experiment you're running. That way you will be able to see your weight before a particular experiment and what's the result of your experiment afterward. Also, if you logged what you eat, you may be able to rule out the hypothesis that you simply ate more. This…
Do you measure these at the same time of the day?
I measure them roughly around the same time.
Re: My standing desk experiment
#26I switch between a seated desk, and a standing desk improvised out of an ikea shelving unit. Very simple, I just put my laptop on top, and have a power cord at each location. http://imgur.com/a/OCX4J (The pictures were for a reddit minimalism post, hence the bookshelf pictures) I got the foot soreness too. Switching fixed it, as did wearing footwear. I plan to get a mat, I've heard that helps too. My floor is hardwoo…
I'm not actually sure whether the recommended ergonomics matter a whole lot but it seems that your keyboard and screen heights while standing are not as they should be. According to most people, a standing desk setup should look something like this: https://img.skitch.com/20120619-qqtq8nf6agxxk29cg9bsih8biq.p...
I'd recommend, in this case, just making sure your laptop is at the right height, and getting a separate keyboard and mouse for lower down. Again, I'm not sure whether this actually makes a big difference, and if you're liking what you're doing now and it's not hurting I can't imagine it's terrible, but just some advice.
Re: My standing desk experiment
#27I switch between a seated desk, and a standing desk improvised out of an ikea shelving unit. Very simple, I just put my laptop on top, and have a power cord at each location. http://imgur.com/a/OCX4J (The pictures were for a reddit minimalism post, hence the bookshelf pictures) I got the foot soreness too. Switching fixed it, as did wearing footwear. I plan to get a mat, I've heard that helps too. My floor is hardwoo…
I'm not actually sure whether the recommended ergonomics matter a whole lot but it seems that your keyboard and screen heights while standing are not as they should be. According to most people, a standing desk setup should look something like this: https://img.skitch.com/20120619-qqtq8nf6agxxk29cg9bsih8biq.p... I'd recommend, in this case, just making sure your laptop is at the right height, and getting a separate k…
No, I agree - you're right. My screen is lower than it ought to be. It's a trade-off I make for working on the laptop.
I do make an effort to lower my eyes, not my neck.
Re: My standing desk experiment
#28I think the best set up is the standing desk + elliptical/treadmill set up. That combines all the best research of a standing desk and the benefits of very low movement to increase brain activity.
All day on a treadmill is going to be bad on your knees, hips and heels. If you running/jogging make sure you really pay attention to your form if you are going for that long (which is going to conflict with your concentration). If you are walking, you have to be even more cognizant of your form because walking typically involves constant heel-striking.
Elliptical might be a bit better, but now you are sitting in an uncomfortable seat and the repetitive motion will get you sore quickly.
Re: My standing desk experiment
#29I used a standing desk at work for about four months earlier this year. I didn't like it because: 1. My feet would hurt from standing up all the time, which interfered with my concentration. 2. The desk was a continuous source of questions from coworkers. People would ask me how I built it, how much it cost, what benefits I've observed, and a ton of other stuff. I answered so many questions that I could go and sell s…
I don't have the science but I have been standing at my desk for over a year now.
My advice is: keep it loose, keep moving around, take lots of breaks. If you were standing, sit for a bit. If you were sitting, walk for a bit. Don't stay in one position (even if it's a good position) for any long time. Keep your arms and head at proper and comfortable heights. Keep good posture.
Re: My standing desk experiment
#30Try this www.staandupdesk.com it's simple and cheap.