Don’t Miss These 5 Reasons To Use a Standing Desk

Standing up, all day? Really? What are some of the main reasons you might consider using a Standing Desk as your primary workstation?

Reason #1 – Using a Standing Desk Promotes Healthy Habits

Using a standing desk is a great example of a tiny habit – a change in a behavior because you had an epiphany – perhaps because you realized that sitting down all of the time is not great for you. Taking small steps toward this goal is a good first start. You might not be able to stand all day and every day for quite a while, or you might have health constraints that prevent you from doing that. But realizing that you ought to move around more, taking the steps to do that, and making a commitment to do that every day is a key component for behavioral change.

Reason #2 – If you Track One Thing, You Might Track Another.

You might be interested in a standing desk because you are a “quantified self” person – interested in tracking changes in your health and behavior with technology – and using devices like a Fitbit or a Jawbone up can help you to know the equivalent steps you’re taking as you stand up during more hours of the day.

Reason #3 – You’d like to be Thinner.

This one’s pretty much a no-brainer. Stand more, burn more calories, eat the same amount, and lose weight. It’s a relatively small change (300 calories a day for a 180lb person, but over a year of working that could add up to 20lbs (300 * 5 * 48 / 3500).

Reason #4 – Using a Standing Desk Stimulates Your Brain

Walk more (and move around more), and researchers have found that moving increases your working memory]. So it’s reasonable to conclude that the act of balancing your body and holding it in space keeps you more awake.

Reason #5 – Using a Standing Desk Might Improve your Mood

There haven’t been many studies to address the question of using a Standing Desk as a potential anti-depression method, but this study is promising. For the people who participated in the study, standing and working produced a statistically significant improvement in mood.

How can you get started using a standing desk? There are some easy hacks, including this one, many IKEA versions, and other ideas. (I use a drafting table raised to elbow height when standing, and prop my monitor with some heavy books.)

You should be incorporating some stretches, drinking water, and taking plenty of breaks. It took me several weeks before standing up all day felt natural.

Need some more ideas?

Check out these articles

• 6 great designs for standing desks.
• And, for a counter point, read Dangers of sitting